Unions are set to meet this weekend to discuss whether or not to continue industrial action over a pay dispute between airline engineers and Qantas.
Eight flights were cancelled on Friday morning due to over 100 engineers in Melbourne walking off  the job for four hours, in protest of Qantas refusing to raise it’s offer of  the three per cent wage increase.
A Qantas spokeswoman said the company had provided alternative travel arrangements in advance for passengers on all cancelled flights which included seven flights to and from Melbourne.
On Thursday, similar industrial action saw the cancellation of ten flights in Sydney and Brisbane.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) is pushing for a five per cent wage rise for about 1,500 engineers employed by Qantas.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow urged Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon to return to the negotiating table now the stop-work action was over.
Dixon indicated this week that he is not prepared to meet the union’s demands because it would damage the long-term future of the company.
“The airline was on track for an expected profit this year, but petrol prices would cost an extra $2 billion in the next financial year and the airline had $35 billion worth of aircraft on order” Dixon commented.
Burrow has estimated the union’s five per cent wage claim would cost $2 million a year.
“This is a drop in the ocean when compared to the $1.5 billion profit the airline was expected to generate this year.” She said
The union had flagged the possibility of more two-day strikes which could ground the airline.
“We certainly won’t be taking that option lightly,” adding it could grind the airline to a halt.
He said the union had attempted “on every occasion” not to adversely affect Qantas passengers.
Qantas declined to comment on the row on Friday.