Qantas cancels 28 flights, delays another 27 in response to strikes

The strike will hit most of the major Australian airports during Tuesday's morning peak period, with 3,800 baggage handlers and other
ground staff to walk off the job for four hours over stalled contract negotiations.

Steve Creedy From: The Australian September 19, 2011 12:37PM

QANTAS estimates more than 6100 passengers will be affected when Transport Workers’ Union members stop work for four hours tomorrow.

The airline will cancel 28 flights, and delay another 27 by up to 35 minutes, but says it has been able to significantly reduce the full impact of the industrial action by using bigger planes and deploying management to operational roles.

But it warns there could be further delays over the next two days because of 48-hour bans on higher duties in the action by baggage handlers, ramp workers and caterers.

Details of the changes are available on the airline’s website and it will be contacting customers whose flights have been cancelled or delayed by more than 15 minutes.

The TWU strike is in addition to action by the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association which will see more than 800 passengers affected by six flight delays.

Qantas estimates more than 10,000 passengers have been affected by industrial; action by the engineers since it began in late August.

“The TWU is intent on causing disruptions to Qantas passengers and we are doing everything we possibly can to reduce the delays and cancellations,” Qantas group executive Olivia Wirth said.

Qantas argues the union’s pay claim of 15 per cent over the next three years was not sustainable in the current economic climate.

But it is the so-called job security claim of putting minimum pay restrictions on contractors that is the biggest point of difference.

Ms Wirth said this would remove the company’s flexibility to scale up or down its workforce according to demand for its flights.

“The TWU is willing to allow its members to be paid 12 per cent less at Virgin and to enable them to have a lower pay scale for new starters but they are demanding that Qantas does not have the same flexibility,” she said.

However, the unions believe Qantas is intent on breaking their hold on the airline and wants to outsource more work.

"I believe we are now witnessing typical union-busting strategies imported from the USA and which the mining sector has tried to repeatedly use over the last 10 years," TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon said last week.

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