Qantas and Jetstar engineers striking

The engineers' union is promising Qantas and Jetstar flights will not be cancelled
or planes grounded over Christmas as workers prepare to walk off the job on
Thursday.
A small group of engineers from maintenance yards in Sydney, Brisbane and Avalon is
vowing to strike for up to five business days and will plan more industrial action
throughout the month and into January.
The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia
(APESMA) said the workers were fatigued and being called out for critical and
complex engineering issues with less than five hours' sleep between jobs.
APESMA senior industrial officer Alison Rose told AAP Qantas was refusing to
negotiate a new collective agreement and would not agree to fatigue management
demands or company-sponsored professional development.
Ms Rose said workers had been left with little option but to strike.
"Professional engineers really care about the travelling public and have carefully
planned industrial action to avoid disrupting travel over the Christmas period," she
said.
But Ms Rose said the strike action planned for January could have a knock-on effect
for the public if planes that were due for heavy maintenance work or repairs were
grounded.
Meanwhile, a wider group of engineers is continuing workplace bans on overtime and
out of hours call-outs.