NSW: Union may strike over Qantas jobs

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NSW: Union may strike over Qantas jobs

SYDNEY, April 16 AAP - A major union today said it would take industrial action againstQantas if the airline did not soften its decision to axe 1,000 employees.

Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) secretary Doug Cameron said Qantas hadpromised in a meeting today that it would resume talks with the union on April 30.

Mr Cameron said the airline giant had indicated it may maintain some of the 360 maintenanceworkers whose jobs are slated to go.

But Mr Cameron said if the company's position was not substantially changed workerswere likely to take action.

"Qantas did indicate that they were looking at bringing some work back, which is avery good development," Mr Cameron said.

"We've asked them for written details about what they're prepared to do; we said we'dmeet them on the 30th, but we want some real firm answers about their position.

"At this stage you could be forgiven for thinking that this is part of the Qantas costcutting culture."

Mr Cameron said Australian Services Union (ASU) workers had attended a stopwork meetingwith AMWU members, and unanimously backed the manufacturing union's position.

"Our members at a mass meeting this afternoon gave unanimous support for a campaignof political, community and industrial action if Qantas continues to promote 360 job loses,"

he said.

Qantas last week said 1,000 people would be made redundant as part of cost cuttingbecause of a downturn in trade in the wake of the war on Iraq and the outbreak of theSARS virus.

Seven hundred full-time positions also would be made either part-time or lost throughnatural attrition, the airline said.

AAP jh/jo/nf/was

KEYWORD: QANTAS AMWU