Better Late than Never – Government must act in National Interest
Thursday, 13 October 2011 16:29
Today's belated announcement by Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson threatening to intervene in the Qantas industrial dispute is welcome.
The Minister has warned the unions that if they don't return to the negotiating table and sort this mess out then they may be forced to resolve the dispute under the provisions of the Fair Work Act.
"With union thuggery, death threats and unions calling for boycotts of Qantas, the unions' behaviour in this dispute clearly falls into the above parameters," Senator Abetz said today.
"Strike action and threats of continued unrest not only damages the brand of a national icon like Qantas, it also has the potential to cause significant damage to the tourism and mining sectors."
"This clearly passes the threshold by the Government's own criteria for industrial action that is not in the national interest."
"Today's announcement, although late, is nonetheless welcome and I look forward to more details of the Government's intervention to prevent further damage being done to Qantas and the tourism industry," Senator Abetz said today.
