Airlines: Qantas & QF Regionals: Qantas stalls response on our claims

After the cancellation by Qantas of our scheduled meeting on 4th July, unfortunately our fourth meeting with Qantas management on 19th July 2007 still did not net any comprehensive or complete response to the ASU's claims. There was also no indication of the pay rise offer from the Company in a year when profits might top $1bn for the first time.

ASU Airlines

Our Claims - Work/Life Balance

Your NNT tabled our final claims on work/life balance in which we have proposed an automatic (not discretionary) entitlement to 2 years unpaid maternity leave as well as an independent assessment of rostering practices for life and work balance when requested by staff.

Qantas management did not respond fully to these Claims, but seemed to poo-hoo the need for an independent assessment of rostering and the need for best practice.

In presenting our arguments on this we pointed to a number of cases where government health and safety authorities had stepped in and reassessed rostering practices at Qantas after staff had tried to reason with management for changes and Qantas had refused to change.

We just want to have access to an independent review everywhere, not just in states where legislation allows the government to intervene.

You have to ask yourself what's wrong with trying for best practice safe rosters, Qantas?

Our Response to Cutting Conditions

As foreshadowed in our last bulletin, the National Negotiating Team advised the Company that we want to maintain existing conditions not cut them, and so reject their claims to do so. We see no benefit in the proposals on annual leave, casuals and part timers or no RDOs for QFIT level 10s.

The Company seems to be suggesting that the only way that 2 years unpaid maternity leave will be possible is if we agree to 104 weeks engagement for temporaries. We have asked the Company for their proposal in writing, so we can consider this further. Nothing is agreed.

On Superannuation we maintain our stance on limited choice. If the Company can choose the default fund, we can't see the problem in limited choice.

Level 2 Airport Functions Qantas airports are trying to create new positions at level 2 of our Award for hosting and queue combing functions. Airport staff object to the downgrading of these functions and we have added this issue to our EBA 8 Claims. There is a separate bulletin to deal with these issues. Over 80% of QDS Staff Want an EBA

Qantas Defence Services still refuse to negotiate an EBA with the ASU for 25 staff who work at Richmond. Over 80% of staff have signed a petition confirming they want to be part of our QF EBA 8, but to date QDS management are saying No and confirmed this at a meeting on 19th July 2007. There will be more about this in a separate bulletin.

Show Me the Money

As yet there has not been any discussion on the pay rise. Your NNT did get an extensive presentation from Gareth Evans EGM Finance, Network Operations and Pricing. We asked him a range of questions about freight segmentation, frequent flyer and the company profitability. He presented an extremely positive picture of the company with profits up, international routes profitable and the outstanding performance of QantasLink and Jetstar. All in a year when management was preoccupied with the APA (we said this!).

It is hard to see why we can't get a pay rise better than 3% - but as always there is fuel prices and competition that the Company points to!(Same old same old!).

For a downloadable full summary of Qantas' response to our claims please download the attached bulletin from the original article at the ASU National website. Click here:. www.asu.asn.au/media/airlines_qantas