Dispute prompts Jetstar to cancel more flights Thursday

Jetstar plans to cancel 28 flights on Thursday in response to industrial action by ground workers but expects to get most customers to their destination within three or four hours of their original flight. Jetstar said affected passengers have already been contacted and the two-hour work stoppages at select airports by members of the Transport Workers’ Union would not affect international flights. Passengers are also being offered the option of rebooking without penalty or a full refund. A spokesman said the vast majority of flights would still operate Thursday and the cancellations were aimed at minimizing any disruption caused by the action. “We won’t be swayed by stand-over tactics and have strong contingencies in place to protect customers’ travel on Thursday -- as was demonstrated last Friday,’’ a spokesman said. Jetstar is facing separate industrial action from two unions and on Monday said it would cut domestic flights by 10 percent in January at an estimated cost of up to $25 million as a result of the threat. READ: Jetstar plans to cut January domestic flights by 10 percent. Both disputes are about wages and conditions with claims and counter-claims about how much is at stake. News of Thursday's cancellations came as the TWU made a last-minute appeal to management to accept its "modest" claims. The company argues the TWU claims for baggage and ramp workers amount to 12 percent increase in costs for Jetstar ground crew who earn about $A70,000 annually on a part-time basis and $A90,000 a year on a full-time basis. However, the TWU says the average guaranteed pay of a baggage and ramp worker is  $A650 per week and the pay dispute could be fixed by paying ground workers an additional  90 cents per hour. Pilots are taking low-level action this week but have said they will not walk off the job during the busy Christmas period. The airline also announced on Monday that it was looking at whether it should sell three Jetstar Boeing 737-8 aircraft currently operating on loss-making and marginal international routes.