Qantas closure will cost 123 Thai jobs:
Australia’s national flag carrier has recently announced the closure of its Bangkok based cabin crew operation.Qantas Airways, Australia’s national flag carrier has recently announced the closure of its Bangkok based cabin crew operation. The base, which has been in Bangkok for a number of years, provides Thai staff on a Qantas flights to several international routes, including Australia, the US and Europe.
Some 120 Thai cabin attendants, supplied to the airline through a contract with Addeco Thailand were served quit notices last week, telling them that the base was due to close with effect from 25th October.
Qantas saw its net profits fall by 88 percent the last year, which ended in June 2009. It is under pressure to reduce costs due to the continuing influence of the worlds economic down turn and the H1N1 virus, both of which have had significant effect on the numbers of international air passengers.
Further, pressure from home based unions appear to have been influential in the decision by the airline, which has an agreement with its staff to limit the number of overseas based cabin crew to some 20 percent, to protect jobs for its own nationals. With flights cut due to the slump in passenger traffic, non-Australian attendant numbers have exceeded the limit.
The Thai attendants work on the London-Bangkok-Sydney route and earn roughly a third of the wages earned by their Australian colleagues. No news has yet emerged about the future of the Qantas bases in Auckland, New Zealand or London, but it is surly reasonable to imagine that these also are being looked at carefully by the airlines management.
Last November, United Airlines shut down its Thai crew base, leaving 110 Thai cabin attendants unemployed.
Though they will receive severance packages exceeding Thai labour law requirements, some Thai staff are reportedly planning to sue Qantas and its Thai recruitment agency over the job losses.
