The jobs of 2,500 skilled maintenance workers would be lost if Qantas takes this step. The work that Qantas is threatening to outsource is the most intensive and most important maintenance work.

People grumble about Hispanic employees being here, but they're the only workers we can get. They take jobs that no one in this country wants.

We will have no option but to take industrial action and commence a political and community campaign to protect jobs in Australia.

Right now we think we can get our work done with the workers who have showed up. We will do what it takes to meet the obligations of our contract.

We can create many local jobs if all retailers were to take advantage of local capacity. We have willing workers and idle industrial capacity.

Laying-off permanent workers is so difficult and costly that companies have a strong preference for temp jobs, even if it is at the expense of productivity. When labor protection has become excessive and unaffordable, as it is in France, labor market institutions must be reformed.