Qantas ordered to resume flights after tribunal ruling

An independent tribunal in Australia has ordered a permanent end to the industrial dispute that has grounded all Qantas flights. Fair Work Australia issued its ruling after hearing evidence from the airline, unions and government at an emergency session in Melbourne. Nearly 70,000 people have been affected by the cancellation of hundreds of flights in 22 countries. Qantas has been dispute with three unions over several months. The row came to a head in August after the airline announced plans for restructuring and moving some operations to Asia. Permanent end Australia's government welcomed the decision, with Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten saying: "We are pleased that after 24 hours of turmoil, commonsense has been restored." Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce had warned it would only resume operations if the tribunal ordered a permanent end, rather than merely a suspension, of industrial action. But he said flights could resume within hours once a permanent end was ordered. Secretary of the ACTU union Jeff Lawrence said the ruling had made it clear that union action was not causing harm to the economy and that it was Qantas's actions that had brought the tribunal's intervention. He said the ruling showed Qantas's decision to lockout its workers and ground aircraft was a disproportionate response to the unions' negotiating position. The airline announced its decision to ground all flights on Saturday, saying it was a necessary reaction to industrial action that was costing A$15m ($16m) a week. Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard had earlier said the dispute between the airline and unions needed to be halted. A government lawyer said the shutdown was costing the Australian economy "tens of millions" of dollars every hour.