Qantas engineers have been protesting outside the airline's annual general meeting in Hobart. Engineers want a 25 per cent pay rise over the next three years and the union says workers are prepared to escalate industrial action if their demands aren't met. Inside the Qantas board and executives were meeting with shareholders as the airline looks to resurrect its tarnished reputation.
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00:00Qantas's share price has recently hit an all-time high, but its brand has been damaged
00:07by recent controversies, something the board acknowledged during today's AGM.
00:13Chairman John Mullen told shareholders there was no shying away from past challenges.
00:18They include the illegal sacking of 1,700 workers during the pandemic and selling tickets
00:24on flights that had already been cancelled.
00:27Those two issues alone will cost the airline hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and
00:32compensation.
00:33The chairman said he wanted to re-establish Qantas's reputation as one of the world's
00:38leading airlines.
00:40He said the company was doing all it could to regain the trust of its customers, shareholders
00:45and workers, who were today told they'd each be getting bonuses worth $1,000.
00:51Will we get everything right going forward?
00:53No, we won't.
00:54Will we make mistakes in the future?
00:56Inevitably we will.
00:58But you have our absolute commitment to learn from the past, correct mistakes quickly and
01:03ethically if they occur, and ensure that we earn the trust and respect of all of our stakeholders.
01:10Today's AGM has coincided with industrial action by engineers across the country.
01:15Up to 600 of the airline's engineers are striking for four hours in the morning and four hours
01:20later today.
01:22They're seeking a 25% pay rise over the next three years.
01:27You can pretend that there's not a problem, you can ignore the problem for so long, but
01:30we're not shifting, we're not moving, no more delays, we need a fair deal.
01:35Unions say they'll escalate their campaign if their demands aren't met.
01:39Qantas says it has contingencies in place to ensure that passengers aren't impacted
01:45by today's strikes.