Union calls on Australian government to pressure Jetstar

Last Updated: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:07:00 +1000

An Australian union is calling on the country's government not to award a half billion dollar contract to companies owned by airline Qantas until its subsidiary, Jetstar agrees to cancel flights to Burma.

The budget airline, Jetstar has been criticised by human rights campaigners and Australian unions for running flights into Burma's main city of Rangoon.

Jetstar Asia flies to Rangoon four times a week, and activists believe Australian companies could be handing billions of dollars to the regime.

'Golden opportunity'

The Transport Workers' Union national secretary, Tony Sheldon says the Australian government has a golden opportunity to pressure Jetstar to drop the flights.

"The federal governments announced a half billion dollar contract they're going to be awarding in the coming weeks for airline services and travel arrangements

"I can't see, when they say that model employers are supposed to be the only ones winning [government] contracts, how possibly Qantas' subsidiaries...can be in a position to win contracts," he said.

"I mean quite clearly, a model employee is not somebody who does work with Burma."

ACTU support

The Australian Council of Trade Unions President, the peak body for trade unions, is supporting the campaign.

Council president Sharan Burrow says the Australian Federal Government should urge companies to withdraw from the country.

"Many governments around the world - the US, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, a whole lot of governments - have seen their companies, encouraged by government opposition, pull out of Burma," she said.

Jetstar rejects claims

But Jetstar Airways rejected claims airport fees paid to Burmese authorities were helping to support the country's military regime.

Jetstar's Chief Executive Bruce Buchannan says the airport fees in Rangoon are on a par with other countries in the region, and are used to maintain the airport's infrastructure and says cutting ties with the country would only hurt the Burmese people.

"I've been talking to Tim Costello from (aid organisation) World Vision about this and he, along with the Obama administration, along with ASEAN, believe that constructive engagement is a better outcome for the (Burmese) people rather than closing the borders," he said.

However, Zetty Brake from Burma Campaign Australia says airport fees are being used to support the military government, "and the soldiers in Burma are used to oppress the people of Burma."

It comes after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Washington's plans to re-engage with Burma through diplomatic channels, as President Barack Obama's administration believed sanctions had failed to achieve desired outcomes.