Airline Dispute Grounds Australia’s Qantas, Government Intervenes

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Australia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">'s government says it will not wait for a bitter dispute that has grounded the country's Qantas Airways to resolve itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Saturday she has asked for the country's industrial regulator to intervene and end a series of ongoing strikes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">She said she made to move because the escalating dispute could have major economic implications.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Qantas Airways grounded all its aircraft Saturday because of the strikes, announcing all striking employees would be locked out beginning Monday evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The unions represent pilots, licensed engineers, baggage and ground workers, and catering staff have been protesting pay and restructuring plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said the unions are “trashing our strategy and our brand.” The airline says the strikes have cost the company $16 million a week. It said the total financial impact so far has been almost $70 million.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Approximately 70,000 passengers have been affected and more that 600 flights have been cancelled. ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div></div>

Airline Dispute Grounds Australia’s Qantas, Government Intervenes

Australia 's government says it will not wait for a bitter dispute that has grounded the country's Qantas Airways to resolve itse...

Read more »