adminstrike would only be a last resort.
A ballot of the Australian and International Pilots Association (Aipa) overwhelmingly voted for a walkout, their first since 1966, over their push for a Qantas pilot to always captain every Qantas flight.
Pilots, who have been negotiating new wages and conditions with the “Flying Kangaroo” for over nine months, want a new clause in their contracts to stop Qantas from potentially outsourcing to cheaper bases in Asia in the future.
“We believe, and the public believes, that when you board a Qantas flight you are entitled to a Qantas pilot in the cockpit,” association president Barry Jackson said.
“That’s part of the deal when you fly Qantas. You expect the world-leading safety culture of Australian Qantas pilots.”
A decision on what action to take will be made at the weekend, with the union’s 1 700 international Qantas pilots set to vote on eight possible options, ranging from non-compliance with the uniform code to a two-day strike.
Qantas said it was disappointed by the threat of action but that the union’s demands on pay and conditions for its long-haul pilots were “excessive and unsustainable”.
“The pilots’ union is demanding pay increases, free flights on top of already heavily discounted airfares and a requirement that pilots on all Qantas airlines, including Jetstar, are paid the same high rates as Qantas pilots,” it said in a statement.
“Paying Qantas pilot rates to pilots for our low cost carrier Jetstar would drive up ticket prices, make Jetstar unprofitable and set precedents for other staff salaries.”
The national carrier has said its international business is loss making and in need of a shake-up, and plans to outline its strategy for overhauling this and capitalising on Asia’s growing travel market next month.
The airline has so far refused to confirm it will build a new service out of Asia as part of this new strategy to offset rising fuel costs, greater regional competition and a soaring Australian currency that is hurting holiday travel.
Qantas pilots say the issue of job security is central to their claims.
“That’s what this dispute is all about,” Jackson said. “Qantas pilots want to continue operating Qantas flights, but they know management has plans to shift Qantas operations to Asia and start mass outsourcing.
“We understand that the company needs to adapt and evolve to stay profitable, but outsourcing the jobs of impeccably-trained and experienced Australian pilots isn’t a smart way to do it.”
But a spokesman for Qantas dismissed the claims.
“We completely reject the claims of offshore and outsourcing they (the Aipa) made in their statement,” Qantas spokesman Luke Enright said.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has said the ongoing review would cast “an honest and fairly aggressive view on the performance of the international network” and recommend cuts where they are needed.
He said that Qantas had not made any pilots redundant during the global financial crisis, asking them instead to take annual leave during the slowdown, but that the carrier had had a surplus of pilots for some time.
In June, Qantas said it expected to achieve its best result since the global slump in 2011 with underlying profit before tax expected of at least US$535 million. – AFP.
Online Reporter