Australia: Once again unions call off Qantas stoppages

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) intervened again last Thursday, arranging another round of negotiations on the new workplace agreement to commence on Monday. The truce was offered to Qantas despite the airlines adamant refusal to budge from its position and its use of scab labour during this weeks rolling stoppages, which forced the cancellation of about 100 domestic flights.

Australian Licensed Airline Engineers Association (ALAEA) federal secretary Steve Purvinas said: Hopefully we can sit down for the week and reach an agreement. Earlier in the year, the ALAEA signed a deal with Qantas to impose a 3 percent annual pay rise limit, which is far below the soaring cost of living. The engineers threw out the agreement in an April ballot, and are fighting for a 5 percent increase.

Kevin Brown, Qantass head of human resources, welcomed the truce, declaring: We hope the ALEA come to the meeting with a realistic solution. By realistic Brown no doubt means another attempt by the unions to force the engineers to accept the companys terms. The initial ALAEA-Qantas agreement also gave significant concessions to management on rostering and increased use of contract labour.

During this weeks four-hour stoppages in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Cairns, Qantas provocatively used security guards to protect management scabs who were working on planes. According to eye-witness accounts given to the Melbourne Age, the scenes were reminiscent of the 1998 waterfront dispute, when Patrick Stevedores, backed by the Howard government, deployed guards and a scab workforce against dock workers.

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