Qantas is set to return to the skies as soon as Monday
afternoon following a ruling by Fair Work Australia ordering an end to hostilities between the unions and Qantas, ordering them to get back to the negotiating table and sort out the dispute within 21 days.
In the 12 hour hearing Fair Work Australia ruled that there
was significant uncertainly arising from the protected actions of unions as
well as the lockout of Qantas employees and grounding of the Qantas fleet.
Fair Work Australia has ordered suspension of Union strikes
which in effect has the airline and unions now have 21 days to resolve their issues,
which could be extended a further 21 days if there was progress in negotiations.
Both Qantas and the Unions are claiming victory from Fair
Work Australia decision with the below statements from both sides:
The following is a statement
from Qantas CEO Alan Joyce in relation to the Fair Work Australia decision:
“This decision provides certainty for Qantas
passengers.
“We will be
getting our aircraft back up in the air as soon as we possibly can. It could be
as early as Monday afternoon on a limited schedule with the approval of the
regulator.
“I apologise to all Qantas passengers that
have been impacted by the industrial action by unions over the past few months
and in particular the past few days.”
National secretary of the ACTU Jeff Lawrence said unions
would work with the airline to get planes flying again as soon as possible.
“We will work
with the company, all the unions and all the employees will do that, to make
sure that the Australian travelling public is not inconvenienced for one minute
longer than necessary,” he told reporters in Melbourne.
“It’s unfortunate
that it’s taken the intervention of the federal government to force Qantas to
negotiate about these issues about job security and to end the lockout.” Mr
Lawrence said
“The decision of
Fair Work Australia means he (Alan Joyce) has failed, comprehensively failed,” Mr Lawrence said
Recent Comments