Qantas chief Alan Joyce at the jobs and skills summit in September.Credit:James Brickwood
The Australian and International Pilots Association accused Joyce and the carrier of threatening outsourcing to secure a recent short-haul enterprise agreement with the pilots to fly the new Airbus aircraft.
The association’s president,Tony Lucas,said the airline’s job security threats were a “poor way” to conduct negotiations and urged Qantas to consider a staff-inclusive industrial strategy that would improve engagement for the betterment of the business.
“Unfortunately,this is the tactic Mr Joyce and his team continue to use,not just with our association but with many other unions representing Qantas staff.”
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Qantas denies it ever considered outsourcing short-haul flying if the pilots ’association voted down the agreement and said it communicated this to the pilots.
“To be clear,we never said a no vote would mean this flying would be outsourced. Had either pilot group not been able to provide us with the working arrangements needed to get a return on our investment,another entity within the Qantas Group that was able to do this would have done the flying,” a spokesperson said when the issue first arose in June.
Lucas said he hoped the airline would amend its approach to industrial relations ahead of negotiations with its domestic pilots due to commence in the coming months.