July 2011
Australia
- Qantas pilot stood down for overtime ban
- Qantas has stood down one of its captains following his threat to go on strike.
The Australian and International Pilots Association's (AIPA) has an ongoing disagreement with the airline with the airline and as part of this the pilot, Captain Steven Anderson, refused to do extra work on board flight QF30 from Hong Kong to Melbourne.
"This means if the flight is delayed or diverted due to weather, medical emergencies, mechanical issues or air traffic control instructions, he may not continue flying," a Qantas spokesman said. "Qantas is not prepared to risk passengers being delayed getting to Melbourne because the captain wants to take industrial action.
The incident is the latest development in the long-haul pilot's low-key industrial action against Qantas, which began on June 22 and which the union says will now continue for at least three more weeks by which time the airline’s CEO Alan Joyce is due to announce the results of a review of the carrier's international business and publish full-year earnings.
Other action taken by AIPA members has included a Qantas captain holding a two-minute meeting with himself at London Heathrow Airport last Sunday and announcements made to Qantas passengers about the dispute.
According to AIPA pilots will also stop responding to text messages from Qantas confirming they are ready to sign on for work and stop using a Qantas flight operations website set up for pilots.
Union demands include:
• All Qantas jets be flown by a Qantas pilot or a pilot on conditions equal to the Qantas pilot agreement.
• Pilots flying on Qantas affiliates such as Jetstar and New Zealand-based subsidiary Jetconnect, to have the same wages and conditions as Qantas pilots.
• Pay increases and free flights on top of already heavily discounted airfares.
