Strike threat eases in UK, grows in Australia
LONDON/SYDNEY: – Air travellers could still face an unhappy New Year in Australia and the UK.
Threatened January strike action at the UK’s BAA airports next week has been called off following lengthy talks between unions and the company.
Staff were due to walk out next Monday in a dispute over the closure of the BAA final salary scheme to new employees.
While next week’s action has been called off a decision on another 24-hour walk-out seven days later is dependent on the deal being ratified, according to reports.
An agreement in principle was reached with unions to call off the strike action which would have affected airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
A report in The Australian says that Qantas has ruled out importing temporary skilled workers to break the effect of a looming strike by 1700 of its maintenance workers.
The carrier’s decision to confine its search for replacement workers to the already-stretched local labour market came after new Immigration Minister Chris Evans issued a stern warning that the Labor Government would not tolerate the temporary skilled migration scheme being used to undermine local industrial actions.
The moves have increased the likelihood that Qantas will be temporarily grounded on Wednesday when its licensed engineers – who are required to sign the aircraft out each day and approve any maintenance work – start four-hour rolling stoppages and overtime bans over a pay dispute.
Qantas has been grappling with a series of contingency plans to reduce the impact of the industrial action but it has been dogged by reports that it had been considering importing foreign engineers on so-called 457 temporary work visas to replace the striking workforce and stay in the sky next week.
Ian Jarrett
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