Qantas cancels 26 flights as strikes roll on

Qantas have cancelled 26 flights today in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra as a result of the strikes held by 1500 members of the Australian Licensed Engineers’ Association.

Qantas have cancelled 26 flights today in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra as a result of the strikes held by 1500 members of the Australian Licensed Engineers’ Association.

Strike action is set to continue over the weekend also, with 19 flights cancelled tomorrow in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, but Qantas says it is unsure at this stage if further cancellations will continue next week.

Strikes have already occurred for five hours on Monday and Tuesday, causing the cancellation of 80 flights and affected airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns.

Qantas is already facing financial trouble over rising fuel prices, which it says will rise to $2 billion and account for 35% of its total expenditure in the next financial year.

The engineers are striking for a 5% wage increase, but Qantas, which operates and maintains more than 5000 domestic flights a week, says it is only prepared to offer 3%, consistent with its financial policies.

Qantas argues the pay agreements offered have been fair, with a 1.7% a year increase over the past decade, including a wage freeze during the SARS scare when numbers of air travellers slowed.

Qantas share prices have already dropped 45% this year, but have gained some momentum from yesterday, staying at $3.07 at 11.51am AEST.

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