Qantas Airline Strikes

Qantas to Enter Arbitration With Pilots After Negotiations Fail

Bloomberg Businessweek
November 21, 2011

On October 29, Qantas Airways Ltd. grounded most of its international and domestic fleet which affected 80,000 passengers around the globe. It took these steps to force an end to strikes saying it “wanted to end more than six months of disruptions by the three unions who are campaigning for job security and higher pay.” The government intervened two days later and Fair Work ordered Qantas planes back into the air with 21 days to make a deal.

Qantas and the pilots union will finally enter into binding arbitration since negotiation talks about a new contract have failed. Anil Lambert, a spokesman for the Australian & International Pilots Association, said by phone that arbitration will begin today and Luke Enright, a spokesman for Qantas, said he was unable to comment on the pilots union’s announcement.

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