Qantas updates

Labor senator Doug Cameron has told parliament Qantas and the coalition colluded over the controversial grounding of the airline’s fleet and planned lock out of its workers.

Senator Cameron also said it was ‘‘sickening’’ the Qantas board and shareholders gave CEO Alan Joyce a $2 million pay increase when they knew the airline would be shut down the next day.

He said he was ‘‘pretty sure’’ Opposition Leader Tony Abbott knew Qantas would ground its fleet last Saturday.

‘‘There hasn’t been any criticism of the reprehensible behaviour by Qantas because they were in collusion with Qantas on this issue,’’ Senator Cameron said of the coalition.

It fitted the coalition’s industrial relations ideology, which was about increasing employer militancy and denying employees industrial democracy.

‘‘They will continue to take a hard-line position on industrial relations,’’ Senator Cameron said.

He warned Work Choices would be reintroduced, but under a different name, if the coalition won the next election.

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The multi millionaire chief executive of Qantas, Alan Joyce, will face his first grilling at the hands of federal politicians since his shock decision to ground the airline when he turns up in Canberra for a Senate inquiry on Friday.

The airline went into damage control yesterday as it attempted to patch up relations with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese.

As Ms Gillard renewed her attacks on Qantas, its government relations boss, Olivia Wirth, made a flying visit to Canberra in an effort to repair a relationship which insiders now describe as toxic.

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A University of Adelaide law expert, Andrew Stewart, said arbitration typically took months and this case was ''much bigger'' with three separate negotiations potentially to be decided.

The tribunal would consider the public interest, whether the parties had negotiated in good faith and how ''reasonable'' the parties were during negotiations.

Unions are pushing for restrictions on outsourcing and want greater job protection at the airline and Professor Stewart said arbitration meant the tribunal could agree to those claims.

The Slater & Gordon partner Marcus Clayton said he expected arbitration hearings, if required, would extend into next year. Unions would likely seek answers on ''live'' issues in dispute around jobs, outsourcing and sending jobs overseas, he said.