Qantas Dispute - Corporate Greed or Just Rewards
Qantas CEO Grilled By Parliament When Qantas Shareholders attended the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in October, 2011, they voted to increase the pay of the CEO.
Allan Joyce.
It rose by some two million dollars, representing over 60% increase.
That was after months of discontent and strikes by employees over their salaries and pay conditions.
It resulted in mass fury by the staff that went on strike just as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was winding up in Perth.
This was also attended by the Queen and Prince Phillip who left the country on Saturday, 29th October.
The strikes threatened the tourism industry and the upcoming Melbourne Cup as thousands around the country tried to book on other airlines.
What happened next was hard to absorb and even harder to accept.
The CEO claimed he acted on his own initiative without warning the government or anyone else.
CHOGM members were stranded as were some 67,000 or more passengers around the world when Joyce suddenly and without warning grounded the entire fleet.
The government stepped in and Fair Works Australia (FWA) was hastily called upon to end the situation.
The outcome was that Qantas was forced into a back down and the staff ordered back to work.
They now have 21 days between them to end their disputes or the FWA will decide on the issue.
When Qantas was privatised under the Keating Government in 1993 the charter read that it would remain mostly Australian owned and operated.
But things have changed since then and the threat to some 1000 Australian jobs with a decision by management to perform a large part of maintaining the fleet offshore with far cheaper wages in Asia brought on the current dispute.
One has to question why at this time with so much at stake a massive increase in pay was given to Joyce when workers are in this predicament.
One also must question his logic in accepting it although one cannot blame him when it was given him by the AGM.
Perhaps it is the shareholders who should be taken to task and their motive examined.
Allan Joyce.
It rose by some two million dollars, representing over 60% increase.
That was after months of discontent and strikes by employees over their salaries and pay conditions.
It resulted in mass fury by the staff that went on strike just as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was winding up in Perth.
This was also attended by the Queen and Prince Phillip who left the country on Saturday, 29th October.
The strikes threatened the tourism industry and the upcoming Melbourne Cup as thousands around the country tried to book on other airlines.
What happened next was hard to absorb and even harder to accept.
The CEO claimed he acted on his own initiative without warning the government or anyone else.
CHOGM members were stranded as were some 67,000 or more passengers around the world when Joyce suddenly and without warning grounded the entire fleet.
The government stepped in and Fair Works Australia (FWA) was hastily called upon to end the situation.
The outcome was that Qantas was forced into a back down and the staff ordered back to work.
They now have 21 days between them to end their disputes or the FWA will decide on the issue.
When Qantas was privatised under the Keating Government in 1993 the charter read that it would remain mostly Australian owned and operated.
But things have changed since then and the threat to some 1000 Australian jobs with a decision by management to perform a large part of maintaining the fleet offshore with far cheaper wages in Asia brought on the current dispute.
One has to question why at this time with so much at stake a massive increase in pay was given to Joyce when workers are in this predicament.
One also must question his logic in accepting it although one cannot blame him when it was given him by the AGM.
Perhaps it is the shareholders who should be taken to task and their motive examined.
