Qantas cancels 31 flights on Friday as engineers prepare walk out over wage claims

Over 30 Qantas flights will be cancelled tomorrow with a further 46 delays also expected, with 1,600 members of the Licenced Aircraft Engineers Union scheduled to walk out on the job tomorrow morning over a pay dispute.

Qantas says airports and maintenance facilities around the country will experience delays but the action will only impact domestic services – neither Jetstar nor QantasLink will be affected. Customers are already being contacted with alternative travel arrangements.

Qantas was contacted this morning by SmartCompany but was unable to comment prior to publication.

“We are doing everything we possibly can to get passengers to their destinations, including moving passengers on to alter flights and upgrading services to larger, widebody aircraft,” executive of operations Lyell Strambi said in a statement.

Qantas says while the ALEU claims it only wants a 3.14% increase over the next three years, in reality that cost is more like 28.6%. And with further costs, the amount is more like 36%.

“Qantas has entered into discussions with the union in good faith and we have exhausted all possible avenues, however we have been unable to make any real progress with the union,” he said.

But secretary Steve Purvinas says these figures are fabricated.

“In our view, it’s entirely fabricated. What our wage claim consists of is a 3% per annum increase of wages and allowances, and a quicker progression through our graded structure.”

“But this would be offset through a claim that we have put in, which means our members would no longer get paid for training they would undertake,” he says.

Such a claim is not explicitly mentioned in the Qantas statement his morning, although it does detail the proposed structural changes, details of a new pay structure which would see engineers paid for the number of years they have worked, and a claim for six week’s annual leave.

Purvinas says the changes for training costs would create substantial savings for the company, with members essentially given an extra $5,000 for every new aircraft for which they receive training.

He also believes Qantas has not honoured a commitment made in 1998 to ensure employees are moved from the current wage structure onto a salary program.

Qantas says the union has also notified the company of further action on Monday, May 16 and the following day Tuesday 17, if a resolution cannot be made.

“We just cannot accept union demands for a veto on change which would damage Qantas, restrict our business and jeopardise the jobs of their members and all other Qantas employees,” it said.

UPDATE: Qantas has now said all 31 flights will go ahead tomorrow with the union saying it will no longer be taking action.

However, the union is still planning industrial action next week, which Qantas exectuive of operations Lyell Strambi says will disrupt thousands of customers’ travel plans.

“If the union is serious about not disrupting the airlines operations and passengers, I call on the union to cancel the strike action planned for Monday and Tuesday next week,” he said in a statement.