Qantas baggage handlers ordered back

Qantas baggage handlers in Melbourne have been ordered back to work after walking
off the job on Saturday, causing flight delays and chaos amid backlogs of baggage
collections.
About 45 handlers rostered on Saturday stopped work about 10.30am (AEDT) while a
small number chose to continue work.
The six-hour dispute is believed to have been over a demand for casual employees to
be made permanent.
A federal sitting of the Industrial Relations Commission ordered the baggage
handlers to return to work about 4.30pm, a Qantas spokesman said.
"They directed staff to return to work and they have now done so," the Qantas
spokesman confirmed.
"Everything's back to normal."
But he said flight delays of up to three hours leaving Melbourne from both the
Tullamarine domestic and international terminals were inevitable for the rest of the
day.
"We still won't get back to on time today."
Passengers can expect to wait at least 20 minutes longer to collect luggage, the
spokesman said.