Government Puts A Stop To Labor Dispute... For Now

Qantas tells ANN that flights will resume today, and should be in full-swing by mid-afternoon, on Monday 31 October 2011 subject to further instructions from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). A petition by Fair Work Australia was granted and allows the Australian Government to terminate all industrial action by the Australian Licensed Engineers Union, the Transport Workers Union, the Australian and International Pilots Union and Qantas.

Under the orders issued by Fair Work Australia, there will now be up to 21 days of negotiations between the parties. No industrial action can take place during this period. If no agreement is reached during this period, binding arbitration will take place under the control of Fair Work Australia. Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said the decision would provide certainty for Qantas passengers and all of our employees.

“This is a good outcome that will enable us to begin operating flights this afternoon on a limited schedule with the approval of the regulator, CASA,” Mr Joyce said.

“Operations will resume progressively from this afternoon. Our focus is bringing our schedule back to normal as soon as possible. Safety will remain our first priority at all times.

“The industrial process has now passed into the hands of the independent umpire. All parties will be treated equally and we will respect the decisions that are made.

“We have new and existing agreements with 12 unions. We now anticipate the conclusion of agreements with the remaining three. This has been a challenging period for Qantas, its employees, its customers and its shareholders. We sincerely regret the impact on customers of industrial action over recent months, and the effect on employees. We look forward to a rapid recovery and to a period of stability enabling us to focus on our customers and our strategy for the airline.”

FMI: www.qantas.com.au