Alan Joyce, what has this bloke ever achieved at Qantas to justify a 71% pay hike. As a CEO he's done nothing. Has no idea when it comes to industrial relations. Qantas needs leadership which Joyce is not supplying. The conservatives have their own political agenda and like to blame the Labor Government for Qantas but the whole thing has been badly handled by Joyce and the Qantas management from the start.

Joyce had something else up his sleeve, but did not work out. He was not expecting to have to negotiate with the unions, so achieved nothing. 21 days or it goes to arbitration.

Peter Hume:

...Essentially, the free movement of capital (Globalisation), encouraged as a remedy for dwindling profits, clashes with national sovereignty through social conflict, as workers struggle to maintain acceptable wages and conditions inside organisations prepared to pull out of Australia and plunder the less organised labour-force in third world economies. This is the highlight of the Qantas dispute!

...I don’t personally see that Qantas can be “blamed” for following a well-worn path to profits, by tagging along the same trail. However, unions likewise, cannot be “blamed” for attempting to haul in dwindling wages and conditions with industrial action against employers to achieve the self-same aim.

...The obvious problem is the conflict of interest between employer (Capital) and employee (Labour) where labour turns in the only direction available, Government, to force a consensus and insist on regulation (over capital) through tariffs, as one example, which encourage capital to remain in the social confines the Nation.

...The issues around the Qantas dispute, (global free markets), give Gillard the golden opportunity to deal effectively with the important issue of retention of Industry and jobs, and will win “brownie Points” prior to the next election, if she appears to be effectively on side with the National work-force” (read votes)