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27-Jun-08 11:15 [Asia Pacific]
Qantas chiefs to talk to striking workers Executives at Australian airline Qantas are to meet with representatives of striking maintenance engineers next week in a bid to end a pay dispute that has seen dozens of flights cancelled.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) has called for a fiver per cent pay rise however up to this point the airline has stated it will not negotiate in its of a three per cent increase.
Qantas has stated that three flights are to be cancelled on Saturday and a further 15 on Sunday because of the action, according to a Agence France-Presse report.
Daily newspaper the Australian reported that Qantas has announced it will increase the amount of critical maintenance work done abroad, which could lead to a reduction in the amount of work available to Australian engineers.
Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon also stated that the industrial disputation had been caused by the engineers not the airline.
Despite this the decision to hold talks was welcomed by the ALAEA federal president Paul Cousins.
"It's obviously something that suggests we can move forward," Mr Cousins commented to news agency APP.
The BBC reports that Qantas has reportedly seen a boom in business following the collapse of rival airline Ansett earlier in the year.
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