Engineers at Qantas expected to strike

Engineers at Qantas will face a strike by engineers next weekend.

Travel Insurance News - 18/08/2011

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Australian carrier Qantas will be hit by industrial action next week as engineers go on strike. Meanwhile, the airline says unions have been trashing the Qantas brand and misleading the public with inaccurate claims about the airline’s plans for the future.

The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) could notify the airline by today that engineers will go on strike starting next Thursday. Such industrial action could have a huge effect on operations at Qantas.

In 2008, industrial action by Qantas engineers cost the airline AUS$130 million. Members of the union have already given their support for industrial action.

The union is required to provide a minimum of three days’ notice ahead of any lawful action. Steve Purvinas, Federal Secretary of the ALAEA, referred to the airline’s statement that its international operations would face a loss of AUS$200 million in this financial year as a ‘big, fat lie’.

A spokesman for the airline said the claims by Steve Purvinas were ‘laughable’. He added that the airline’s financial results were audited and the carrier was legally required to provide accurate data.

Next week, Qantas is widely expected to report overall pre-tax profits of between AUS$500 million and AUS$550 million. The airline also refuted allegations that as many as 5,000 jobs could be lost.

Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas, said the airline was working to make sure any jobs lost would happen through voluntary redundancies. He said the carrier would not save any staff costs from any loss of jobs.

<< Qantas pilots ordered not to minimise flight delays | Travel News | Grown-up gap years drive medical insurance claims spike >>