A little bit of employee troubles could rock Virgin Blue. The airline is facing a threatened first ever strike. Both pilots and flight attendants have become upset with the airline. The pilots have said that negotiations have stalled over over pay and working hours.
Flight attendants have rejected a new enterprise bargaining agreement after two years of negotiations by a major 9 out of 10 margin. The flight attendants voted 992 to 123 vote to reject the agreement on Monday although their union, the Flight Attendants Association of Australia, had endorsed it.
The airline claims that the airline's pilot roster was running tighter because some were undertaking upgrade training and some are on annual leave.
A strike, unlikely at this point, could be a powerful bargaining chip for the labor groups. After years of stalled negotiations, this could help push the company to offer better incentives. Or it could stall negotiations even more. It is a calculated risky move. The airline which prides itself on being "Australia's multi-award winning low fare airline that is big on service and low on price" might have to work a bit harder for that title if they do not start working with their staff. Please don't let this turn into another AAL, UAL or DAL.
Virgin Blue Orders More E170's and E190's for a total price of $14.8 billion
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Posted by: virgin student | August 5, 2008 3:11 AM | Permalink to Comment