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Qantas sackings over security risks
Date: 01 November 2010
The Transport Workers Union have said Qantas are putting peoples lives at risk by ignoring decent safety standards after Qantas (Sunstate) fired six engineers for speaking out against cabin locks that could be pried open with anything from a Paddle-Pop stick to a rolled up boarding pass.
TWU National Secretary, Tony Sheldon, has today called on Qantas Management to own up to their irresponsibility, admit they made a mistake and take security safely.
"The community, industry and workforce has been let down again by the people in charge of Qantas and our aviation industry. The excuses from Qantas Management are wearing thin, the Australian public deserves better, the workforce deserves better.
"Qantas management would fire a pilot for saying a plane was missing a wing if it made them look bad. It's about time safety was more important than managements public image.
"Then they say the engineers are only doing it because they're in negotiations over their pay and conditions, let me make this clear; Qantas management have acted irresponsibly, we aren't in negotiations with them and we can still see that.
"It's clear Qantas can't handle their responsibility, how many times will Qantas need to be caught out, what damage will be done, before we have some serious government intervention?"
"These problems will continue and safety will suffer until there are solid Australian Standards are set that all flights have to comply with long before they leave the ground."
The AUF has called on Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to regulate the industry more thoroughly to ensure that the security and safety of all flights is paramount. At 35,500 feet, passengers should not have to be concerned about the safety risks due to well-documented problems associated with outsourcing, crew ratios, poor and non-enforcement of regulations.
"There are a lot of employers across the industry who demand so-called flexibility in their workforce which they know are forcing unsafe operating practices whilst avoiding the costs of everything from training through to safe rostering practices," Mr Sheldon said.
"CASA should be regulating the industry to ensure the highest standards are met. On the ground the outsourcing of work leads to unskilled and untrained workers, who do not have security passes (ASIC), working in secure areas."
The AUF is made up of the Transport Worker's Union (TWU), Flight Attendants Association of Australia (Domestic & Regional Division) (FAAA) and the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers (ALAEA), and represents over 30,000 workers in the aviation industry.
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