SYDNEY, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The turbulence is continuing in the sky above Australia as the struggle between Transport Workers Union's (TWU) bosses and Qantas management took a personal turn this week.
The TWU condemned Qantas and its CEO Alan Joyce in an extraordinary attack that signals another escalation in the industrial dispute that is shaking the Australian airline industry.
Transport Workers Unions national secretary Tony Sheldon accused Qantas of breaching Australian law after Thursday's announcement of 500 Qantas job cuts and again singled out CEO Alan Joyce as the chief troublemaker.
TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon said, "the company clearly breached its requirements under the Fair Work Act and we're calling on the Fair Work Ombudsman to prosecute Qantas with all the strengths of the law."
After last year's bitter and ongoing industrial dispute, Qantas announced it would shed 500 jobs after profits plummeted by 83 percent due to rising fuel costs and losses related to the grounding of its fleet last year.
The TWU says it will fight Qantas to the end.
TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon, "this is a company whose ruthlessly and ideologically decided that the kangaroo has to be slaughtered in this country and that's not going to happen."
After securing a two million dollar pay rise, raising the possibility of sending jobs offshore and clearly outpointing the union in the struggle for Australian public opinion, the Transport Union made it clear that it was now at war with the controversial Qantas CEO.
Qantas collected 42 million Australian dollars (45.23 million U. S. dollars) to December 2011, down from 239 million (257.59 million U.S. dollars) in the same six month period last year, leaving pundits wondering just how many jobs will go overseas or disappear altogether.
