Qantas to make 35 staff at HBA redundant, HBA goes contractor

[RooFlyer]

With the enhancement of all QF flights to Hobart as 717 Qantaslink, most if not all HBA staff ("from check in to baggage handlers" according to the ABC) will be made redundant from April / May QF staff at HBA enhanced out of a job.

Qantaslink apparently does not employ terminal staff, but puts it out to a contractor.

I guess many (but certainly not all) current staff will be re-employed by the contractor, but I for one am not happy with the arrangement.

Its NEVER the same to deal with a contractor to an organization rather than its staff - let alone a contractor of a subsidiary. I'll be checking in to QFi flights via HBA contractors. Where do I go if there is a stuff up? "Sorry that you weren't properly checked for that flight to LAX Mr RooFlyer, but as it was a contractor, we don't have control over their training or what they do."

Yes, yes, the sun will still rise tomorrow but as a long time QF plat, I am getting pretty sick of these constant enhancements to service. Chipping away at in-flight meal services; chipping away at check-in services, chipping away at lounge amenities.

I've said before, I want a strong Qantas and therefore I don't mind cost cutting per se, but death by a thousand cuts is just a self fulfilling prophesy of an airline in terminal decline (pun intended).

 

[markis10]

Hopefully some can be redeployed to the call centre, front line experience shows when speaking to the right operators and can be far more effective in terms of making money, versus saving it.

 

[under the radar]

'contractors' are everywhere!!!!..they look/dress/act like you and me.. you just don't know it sometimes!! lol

 

[atreides]

That's a hard pill to swallow for staff in HBA, no doubt some who have been employed with QF for many years. Best wishes to all affected staff.

 

[RooFlyer]

'contractors' are everywhere!!!!..they look/dress/act like you and me.. you just don't know it sometimes!! lol

Well, in this case I guess they'll dress like QF or QFL staff. And I expect they'll be professional in their duties. But like I said, it shows most when there is a problem.

Wonder where the mini lounge at HBA will land?

 

[samh004]

Wonder where the mini lounge at HBA will land?

No reason to suggest they'd get rid of it? Plenty of QFLink ports with lounges.

 

[bosox76]

Similar thing happened to MQL ground staff last year and none (as far as I'm aware) were re-employed. All new faces after years of familiarity.

 

[pauly7]

With the enhancement of all QF flights to Hobart as 717 Qantaslink, most if not all HBA staff ("from check in to baggage handlers" according to the ABC) will be made redundant from April / May QF staff at HBA enhanced out of a job.

Qantaslink apparently does not employ terminal staff, but puts it out to a contractor.

I guess many (but certainly not all) current staff will be re-employed by the contractor, but I for one am not happy with the arrangement.

Its NEVER the same to deal with a contractor to an organization rather than its staff - let alone a contractor of a subsidiary. I'll be checking in to QFi flights via HBA contractors. Where do I go if there is a stuff up? "Sorry that you weren't properly checked for that flight to LAX Mr RooFlyer, but as it was a contractor, we don't have control over their training or what they do."

Yes, yes, the sun will still rise tomorrow but as a long time QF plat, I am getting pretty sick of these constant enhancements to service. Chipping away at in-flight meal services; chipping away at check-in services, chipping away at lounge amenities.

I've said before, I want a strong Qantas and therefore I don't mind cost cutting per se, but death by a thousand cuts is just a self fulfilling prophesy of an airline in terminal decline (pun intended).

Whilst I feel for those having to go through this process, QFLink contractors are managed very tightly and I have never had an issue with QFLink contracted ground staff and I fly out of their ports all the time with all sorts of weird and wonderful connections and requests with no issues.

Now if we were talking about the VA mainline manage their contracted ground crew that would be another story.

 

[nickfromeastryde]

I must admit that when you read stories about how much QF baggage handlers are actually paid as opposed to the rest of the industry, then you wonder why QFF has kept them on so long.

 

[markis10]

I must admit that when you read stories about how much QF baggage handlers are actually paid as opposed to the rest of the industry, then you wonder why QFF has kept them on so long.

They were paid well because most of them worked hard, they loaded and unloaded a lot more QF flights and at international airports did the ground handling for many airlines. Fast forward a few years and Qantas management has decided third party contracts are not worth it, moved QF flights into orange land, and then wonder why their costs are not dropping.

There is good money in ground handling, I wonder how many people realise that EK make 25% of their profits from Dnata overall, Qantas internationally has scaled back significantly yet continues to lose contracts as the incumbent for ground handling, crazy, no wonder the staff are expensive, so the answer is make everybody a contractor on casual wages :evil: .

Once again the talent gets ousted in favor of lower cost casual/contractor labor, the focus being on reducing expenses rather than increasing income, I think the clever country has a lot of sand.

 

[jetlagger]

Just a debate on hand: Of the 10 airports I've transited over the past 10 days, 5 airlines were handled by external contractors.. & IMO the contractors were absolute cough in comparison to the airlines that utilised/employed their own staff for check in & all ground handling.
Most of them looked like & acted like amateurs with out any idea about aviation & the basic processes & made at least 5 mistakes such as wrong tagging of destination & not verifying destination or gate & delayed flight.
I have never been a fan of outsourcing & never will particularly in the intricate service industry of aviation. :evil:
Makes any airlines image of a cheap & nasty bottom line without consistent quality service.

 

[Must...Fly!]

With the enhancement of all QF flights to Hobart as 717 Qantaslink, most if not all HBA staff ("from check in to baggage handlers" according to the ABC) will be made redundant from April / May QF staff at HBA enhanced out of a job.

Qantaslink apparently does not employ terminal staff, but puts it out to a contractor.

I guess many (but certainly not all) current staff will be re-employed by the contractor, but I for one am not happy with the arrangement.

Its NEVER the same to deal with a contractor to an organization rather than its staff - let alone a contractor of a subsidiary. I'll be checking in to QFi flights via HBA contractors. Where do I go if there is a stuff up? "Sorry that you weren't properly checked for that flight to LAX Mr RooFlyer, but as it was a contractor, we don't have control over their training or what they do."

Yes, yes, the sun will still rise tomorrow but as a long time QF plat, I am getting pretty sick of these constant enhancements to service. Chipping away at in-flight meal services; chipping away at check-in services, chipping away at lounge amenities.

I've said before, I want a strong Qantas and therefore I don't mind cost cutting per se, but death by a thousand cuts is just a self fulfilling prophesy of an airline in terminal decline (pun intended).

Welcome to the modern world of aviation. It's sad, but there is a reason why QFLink makes big bucks. I suspect this will be the tip of the iceberg.

'contractors' are everywhere!!!!..they look/dress/act like you and me.. you just don't know it sometimes!! lol

And if you don't know it, it's probably not worth worrying about. I work for a contractor and just as you say we look/dress/act just like we were employed by whatever company uniform we happen to be wearing. We are held to the same standards as anyone employed directly by whichever airline. There is not a "who cares" attitude taken just because we are outsourced. I'm sure many wish they worked for an airline directly, for whatever reason, but reality is reality and we get the job done, just like any other port.

 

[Mwenenzi]

They were paid well because most of them worked hard, they loaded and unloaded a lot more QF flights and at international airports did the ground handling for many airlines. Fast forward a few years and Qantas management has decided third party contracts are not worth it.....

Or that the other airlines did not want to pay the QF rates compared to what other companies would do the same job for. QF unions have been pricing themselves out of jobs for many many years.

Have you got verifiable evidence that "Qantas management has decided third party contracts are not worth it" ? QF board papers? QF Management reports?

 

[Jacques Vert]

The QL staff at CFS are all employed by a contractor and they are as good or better as any I have come across; and they can turn a Q400 around in an average of 20 to 25 minutes.

 

[pauly7]

The QL staff at CFS are all employed by a contractor and they are as good or better as any I have come across; and they can turn a Q400 around in an average of 20 to 25 minutes.

DPO record [while I've been there] for a Q400 turnaround (71 pax on incoming, 65 on out) = 14 mins

 

[DaveB]

My career has has gone the full ambit from employing nearly all in-house staff to full outsourcing to now running my own contracting company of which even I outsource around a third of my work output using subcontractors.
At the end of the day, the quality of service delivered to the public will reflect the competency of the organisation's management skills. Although I rarely fly QF these days, my father worked in QF finance for over 25 years and I had a small taste of QF early on. The sooner QF stops trying to do everything the better provided the move ro contractors has clear efficiency and qualitative service standards in place. Hopefully this will include easy to provide customer feedback channels that are reviewed and acted on.

 

[markis10]

Or that the other airlines did not want to pay the QF rates compared to what other companies would do the same job for. QF unions have been pricing themselves out of jobs for many many years.

Not in many cases! QF simply did not put in a bid I believe.

 

[Kangol]

It says they are going to add another service to the MEL-HBA route, any ideas what time that will be?
Does it also mean there will be no more 737 service?

 

[markis10]

It says they are going to add another service to the MEL-HBA route, any ideas what time that will be?
Does it also mean there will be no more 737 service?

See here

http://www.australianfrequentflyer..../qantas-publishes-new-hba-schedule-56407.html

 

[Kangol]

See here

http://www.australianfrequentflyer..../qantas-publishes-new-hba-schedule-56407.html

Thanks, I was looking in the news section on the QF site and couldn't see anything.