Qantas Airways and its unions have been ordered to immediately end all industrial action and return to the negotiating table in an effort to resolve a prolonged industrial dispute.
An Australian industrial tribunal has ordered Qantas Airways and its unions to immediately end all industrial action and return to the negotiating table in an effort to resolve a prolonged industrial dispute.
Fair Work Australia was appointed by the government after Qantas grounded its entire global fleet, affecting almost 500 flights and more than 68,000 passengers.
Qantas and the three unions now have 21 days to reach an agreement or face binding arbitration, the tribunal said.
Earlier, Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said there were no guarantees the airline would resume flying unless the three-person tribunal ordered all industrial action terminated, rather than suspended, to ensure the company and passengers had sufficient certainty.
Unions had been pushing for industrial action to be suspended for between 90 and 120 days.
Staff have been locked-out by management until three unions involved in the dispute reached a deal over pay, conditions and plans to outsource some operations to Asia.
Mr Joyce said the striking unions were destabalising the company and he was left with no other option.
The carrier said: "The financial impact of action taken to date has reached A$68m and the action is costing Qantas approximately A$15m per week in lost revenue".
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