Qantas workers have the support of the ITF, whose President, Paddy Crumlin, said that Qantas' CEO Alan Joyce 'may see this as an investment to break the unions, impose new conditions and outsource operations to other countries in Asia without having to deal with its employees -- but our national economy will be the real victim.'
The International Transport Workers’ Federation, which consists of 779 unions and more than 4.5 million transport workers, pledged Saturday to support Qantas Airways (QAN.AU) workers, after the airline took the unusual step of grounding its fleet and locking out workers.
ITF General Secretary David Cockroft said transport workers internationally would support their Australian colleagues “because a downwards spiral in conditions would impact on the industry globally.”
The ITF’s Australian president, Paddy Crumlin of the Maritime Union of Australia, expressed dismay at Quantas’s decision, noting that Chief Executive Alan Joyce on Friday had his 71% pay rise endorsed at the company’s annual general meeting in Sydney, bringing his annual pay to A$5 million.