Article: Strike to ground weekend Qantas passengers

[ozbob]

Airlines are starting to feel the fuel costs and are cutting back.  Add industrial issues it does make for difficult times BUT it signals the growing opportunity for passenger rail services.  Rail will be the long term sustainable solution and it is good to note the QR Passenger services has already started to respond in a positive way. For example the heavily discounted fares to and from Bundaberg on the tilt. (See http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1051.msg4683#msg4683 )


From Courier Mail click here!


Strike to ground weekend Qantas passengers

Strike to ground weekend Qantas passengers
Article from: The Courier-Mail

James O'Loan

June 27, 2008 12:00am

CHAOS awaits hundreds of Brisbane Qantas passengers as eight flights were cancelled and more disruption expected on the eve of school holidays.

Leisure and business travellers booked for take-off to or from Brisbane today, or on the weekend, will bear the brunt of five-hour engineer strikes at Brisbane airport.

The airline yesterday confirmed two Brisbane flights were cancelled for Saturday and five for Sunday, among 18 nationwide.

A Qantas executive last night said the company had been "forced to cancel" 19 services today.

The simmering wages dispute between the carrier and its licensed aircraft engineers forced six cancellations yesterday, as both sides refuse to close a two per cent gap in their wage negotiations. Their entrenched positions have already left thousands of passengers across the country in the cold.

Competitor Virgin Blue confirmed there had been "some spillover of Qantas guests" since industrial action began.

"In particular, early morning business travellers who have come across to Virgin Blue to avoid any potential disruptions," a company spokeswoman said.

Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association national secretary Steve Purvinas said strikes and overtime bans would continue until a deal was struck.

A weekend of airport havoc now awaits thousands of Qantas passengers across the country with the Brisbane strikes coinciding with others in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Darwin.

But he played down suggestions the disruptions would continue next week. "We're currently working through next week," he said.

"We're considering stopping the stoppages next week to facilitate those meetings."

Mr Purvinas called on frustrated airport passengers to tell Qantas counter staff to get their bosses back to the negotiating table.

The national carrier has not yet cancelled any flights from Monday onwards.

Its chief executive Geoff Dixon has repeatedly refused to budge from its 3 per cent wage offer, with unions justifying a 5 per cent rise on the back of Qantas profit forecasts.

Today's cancelled flights include four Sydney-Brisbane, three Brisbane-Sydney flights and one Brisbane-Melbourne flight.

Tomorrow's include one Brisbane-Sydney and one Sydney-Brisbane.

Sunday's cancellations include three Brisbane-Sydney and two Sydney-Brisbane.

The federal Workplace Ombudsman yesterday started an investigation into allegations the ALEA was circulating a blacklist of non-union workers in an attempt to intimidate strike-breakers.

Mr Purvinas told The Courier-Mail there were about 100 strike-breakers across Australia, mostly management, ready to "take our jobs".