Just to clarify some facts:
1/ all non-ALAEA/TWU/AIPA staff will continue to be paid - even after Monday.
2/ all staff - INCLUDING ALAEA/TWU/AIPA will be paid through until Monday.
3/ the unions have the legal right to strike.
4/ the company has a legal right to lock out striking workers.
Now, we can take sides in the dispute if we choose, and we can most certainly complain about the disruption. We can by all means question AJ's actions generally, as CEO and his direction for the company.
But you absolutely can not trash Qantas and say "You can't do that", "That's not fair to the staff".
Sorry - it is fair, you strike - you risk being locked out - fact, fair and truth.
If the individual workers were not aware that this could be a consequence of their industrial action, then they should complain to Purvinas and Sheldon for misleading them.
The unions hold at least 50% responsibility as a lock-out can only occur in response to protracted industrial action by workers.
Whether or not this is strategically and tactically the best decision for Qantas will be something to reflect on later.
In the meantime - you are all entitled to agree or disagree with Joyce.
But the facts remain..... Innocent staff will still be paid. And striking staff get what was coming to them (deservedly or not).
A well thought out and reasoned summary of the situation.
I typed a post very early on in this thread but AFF somehow consumed it (does the lock-out extend to AFF?
) and I couldn't be bothered typing it out again at the time.
After reading through most of this thread I find myself a bit annoyed (but at whom I'm not sure) and very disappointed that this action has had to come about. The unions cannot live in the past - I don't know the exact 'job security' they are looking for but a guarantee along the lines of 'you'll be employed by Qantas for at least the next 10 years' is from cloud-cuckoo land, simply not possible.
There has been a lot of suspicion of AJ and his LCC-background and motives and direction, here on AFF (me included) and clearly amongst the unions and staff (I just heard a caller on radio who has a sister and other friends working at QF claim that the staff in general 'hated' AJ with a passion - in fact he described him as an 'arrogant narcissistic little pr1ck!' with much venom in his tone. That does not necessarily reflect my view, but I just included it to expose the depth of feeling there appears to be in the ranks of the staff (that assumes that the guy and his QF friends do speak for a majority of staff).
My own long-term wish is to see QF survive and thrive, and do so with minimal impact to staff. Of course, there will be
some impact, I for one believe the rhetoric around QF's cost base compared with other carriers - it puts them behind the eight-ball from the outset, but all parties need to be creative and co-operative and recognise the need for change, but change does not have to screw lots of people. The strikes/stop-works that have been occurring for the last month or so (I think someone summarised them in a previous post - and there have been a lot) simply can't be allowed to continue, yet some of the unions have been threatening not only more of the same, but even
more of the same, if you get what I mean.
So bringing it to a head (as unimaginable as the grounding is) seems to be the right option (though we will see). My understanding (and it may be wrong, please correct me if so) is that QF could have applied for a suspension or a termination, and they have opted for the latter. If granted then the unions must return to work (no stop-works or strikes) asap and QF must resume operations asap. They then have 21 days to negotiate. By the end of that period they have either reached agreement, or if not it goes to the 'umpire' to decide for them. Hence it is 'over' regardless.
The ultimate outcome I would really hate to see (and seriously doubt it will happen) is every red rat on the tail being replaced with an orange star.
I know I have been fairly general in my comments, and made a few 'motherhood' statements, but I don't feel in possession of enough facts to be able to go into more detail and reach definite conclusions, but these ongoing disruptions to passengers and the associated $$ costs and brand damage to QF (with even worse threatened), regardless of which side you think is to blame for it (both to some degree, in reality) just could not be allowed to continue.
PS. Was it just me misunderstanding his accent or did I see/hear AJ say the word re
numeration 3 or 4 times during his interview with Alan Kohler this morning?
