World Airline Pilots Support Qantas Strike

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28256, 18 April 1957, Page 13

World Airline Pilots Support Qantas Strike

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, April 16. The International Air Pilots’ Association, with 17,000 members, has decided to support the Qantas Empire Airways pilots who are on strike, according to an official of the Australian Air Pilots’ Association. The president of the overseas branch of the Australian association,-. Captain W. Edwards, said the secretary of the international association had cabled him from London saying that no affiliated associations would sanction their members taking employment with Qantas in the present circumstances.

“The cable also said there was an acute shortage of pilots and placed its employment bureau at our disposal,” Captain Edwards said.

The strike by Qantas pilots, now in its seventh day, is over a claim for higher pay. The pilots say they are being paid lower rates than those paid by other international airlines.

Qantas has been dismissing pilots for refusing duty, including many overseas.

Flight engineers and navigators have joised the striking pilots. Qantas has now begun advertising for pilots to replace the striking pilots who have been dismissed.

Since the strike began, Qantas has been able to get only three aircraft away from Sydney—a Super-Constellation, to San Francisco last Friday, manned by executives and non-unionists, a DS-4 “mercy flight” to New Delhi to pick up monkeys needed for the production of Salk anti-polio-myelitis vaccine, and another Super-Constellation for San Francisco today. A fourth airliner was due to leave Sydney later today for London, manned by company executives. The aircraft which left for San Francisco today was manned by senior pilots who had refused to strike. More than 50 striking pilots stood silently at the airport terminal as the crew boarded the airliner. An official of the pilots’ association said today that the pilots could not see any prospect of a settlement before Faster. Qantas officials yesterday said they would try to avoid standing down the company’s 6000 ground staff, but if the strike continued they would have to review the position after Easter. In Melbourne today, Mr Justice Spicer, in the Industrial Court, refused an application by the Air Pilots’ Association to stay an application by Qantas for the Court to order the company’s pilots to comply with a provision in their award, banning strikes. But he adjourned the Qantas application, pending hearing by the High Court of a Pilots’ Association application to prohibit the Industrial Court and Conciliation Commissioner, Mr John Portus, from dealing with matters relating to the strike.