Qantas in firing line for price gouging inquiry
A union-backed inquiry into price gouging led by former competition watchdog boss Alan Fels will specifically examine Qantas and the aviation sector, ACTU secretary Sally McManus said.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions national secretary also said the Albanese government’s explanation that Qatar Airways was denied additional landing rights to protect jobs in Australia should also be heavily scrutinised.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus says Qantas will be a target for Allan Fels’ price gouging enquiry. Dominic Lorrimer
“I think that the issue of competition in airlines is a self-evident issue. Qantas is obviously one of the companies we’ll be looking into in terms of price gouging because of the lack of competition that we can all see, anyone who has to travel or does travel knows that,” Ms McManus told ABC radio on Friday.
The union body has commissioned Mr Fels to examine possible unfair pricing practices among large Australian businesses, and to make recommendations to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Ms McManus blasted Transport Minister Catherine King’s claims that the Qatar Airways decision, which would bring down airfares and hurt Qantas’ record earnings, would somehow protect local jobs.
“Qantas’s claims that they should get protection are all based on this is about protecting Australian jobs, all of these claims need to be put under scrutiny because Qantas has been the biggest shedder of Australian jobs of late,” she said.
“They outsourced all their baggage handlers… they’ve wet-leased flights to Finnair and said to the union we’ve got to allow this to happen for a little while, then it turns out all their recent activities involve hiring crews in New Zealand or the UK.”
The ACTU secretary
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