Professional engineers at Qantas are set to commence work stoppages as they step up their campaign for better recognition and fatigue management systems as part of new negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement.
The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia (APESMA) says that engineers working at Qantas heavy maintenance facilities in Brisbane, Sydney and Avalon will begin stoppages for up to five business days throughout December and into January after talks with Qantas “failed to make adequate progress.”
“These stopwork periods will inevitably have an impact on Qantas’s maintenance schedule and may impede the airline’s ability to put planes in the air,” said APESMA senior industrial officer Alison Rose. “We ask passengers to understand that this industrial action has been taken reluctantly, and is the result of management stubbornness.”
Qantas has condemned the strike action, and says that it is continuing to negotiate in good faith with the union. It also says that it does not expect major interruptions to any scheduled services. “The announcement by union officials refers to sporadic action that has been going on for some time, but has not disrupted Qantas operations and will not do so in the future,” said the airline’s group executive government and corporate affairs David Epstein.
