Australia’s Qantas was facing mass walkouts and a possible court challenge to its plans for a major shift of operations to Asia, with pilots and engineers yesterday vowing to fight back.
Thousands of long-haul pilots and aircraft engineers are already taking industrial action against the carrier over contract talks and both groups warned they would step up their campaigns in response to the Asia restructure.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce yesterday announced plans to launch two new airlines — a premium joint venture for which it is yet to name its partner and base location — and a budget carrier, Jetstar Japan.
Photo: EPA
Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi will be partners in the Jetstar venture.
The major recalibration toward Asia, aimed at stemming financial losses because of surging oil prices and its slipping market share, will cost Qantas 1,000 jobs and mean it will defer delivery of six Airbus A380 superjumbos.
“I think it’s more than likely that by the end of next week licensed aircraft engineers will be taking some form of action in response to today’s announcement,” said Steve Purvinas, head of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association.
The Australian and International Pilots’ Association (AIPA) said it would do “everything” -possible to halt the plans, saying that “all options, including strike action, remain open and we will be considering them.”
About 1,700 long-haul Qantas pilots voted last month to take their first industrial action in 45 years over a contract dispute about outsourcing to Asia, holding out a two-day strike as a last resort.
AIPA president Barry Jackson accused Joyce of trashing the -Qantas brand, built on a strong safety record of never having suffered a fatal crash in the jet age.
“[This] is exactly what Qantas pilots have been warning of for months: a shift of Australian -Qantas operations into Asia to start employing people working to Asian conditions and standards,” Jackson said. “Until we get an assurance from Alan Joyce that future Qantas flights will be operated by Qantas pilots — instead of outsourced and offshored alternatives — we will be doing everything we can to stop this destructive strategy for Qantas’s future.”
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