Qantas reaches new deal with engineers

Qantas and the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Mangers Australia (APESMA) have ended their long running working conditions and pay dispute.

In a new agreement, the airline’s approximately 190 professional engineers will receive a four per cent wage rise and increases in superannuation. APESMA has also won a concession which will allow engineers to take rest periods after being called out overnight, as well as more access to professional development programs.

“This is a good result for Qantas professional engineers and shows what can be achieved when workers take a stand to ensure the quality of their work is maintained,” said APESMA senior industrial officer Alison Rose. “It is also a good result for Qantas because it will bring in significant improvements to the way safety is managed within the airline by addressing those issues critical to its maintenance.”

Qantas’s professional engineers have been involved in limited industrial action on and off for over a year, mostly through overtime bans. While only a small part of the airline’s group of engineers, they must sign off on significant maintenance items before an aircraft is cleared to fly.