Qantas job cuts a sign of tough economic times

The decision by Qantas to shed 1500 jobs in Australia and overseas is disappointing and unions will seek to work with the airline to minimise compulsory redundancies for the workforce.

"We are concerned at any job losses, and will be looking closely at the detail of what is proposed by Qantas,"Jeff Lawrence, ACTU Secretary, said.

"Qantas has said there will be some compulsory redundancies, and unions will be ensuring they are consulted closely to minimise their impact.

"Qantas workers should also be consulted about the impact of other changes announced today on work loads and job practices."

The ACTU welcomed an in-principle agreement between Qantas engineers and the company's management from enterprise bargaining negotiations.

While details of the engineers' agreement are confidential at this stage, if accepted by the members it will deliver higher pay for the airline's 1500 licensed engineers.

The proposed agreement will be considered by the engineers over the next few weeks.