QF Baggage Handlers Want Reduction In Baggage Weight

[Sarah C]

Originally Posted by Montague S

360 Y class passengers with 2 bags each...that's 720 suitcases, I doubt that will happen in a hurry.

I agree but limiting to 20kg only particularly for an international flight is just impractical. Yes it saves money in many ways but the sheer number of people willing to pay excess to go over the 32kg these days means it is not practical.

[Marty H]

Originally Posted by Sarah C

If you can't lift 32kg, get out of the job! Previous generations have done it for many years. I am sure there are people who would be happy to do the job.

The funny thing is it is probably only a matter of time until technology makes the handlers irrelevant. While I agree some people bring everything with them on a trip, 20kgs is difficult for an international trip. Making the limit 2 20kg bags actually increases the work for handlers.

Generally speaking in a day you would be lucky to lift 20x30kg+ bags, get alot between 20-30kg though, but once again comes to how you approach the job and weather you choose to go about it the correct way or the incorrect way. Where they got the figures that 80% of the bags are over 20kg from I will never know, simply isnt true, I go away for a week with the kids and stuff and barely reach 15kgs in bag weight.

[Marty H]

Originally Posted by Montague S

then you'll know that if you stuff your back its game over...I'm sure you remember the issue I had with my spine a few years ago? I can tell you from now that 4 years down the track I'm still seeing specialists and physio's and its made my lifestyle much worse than it ever was.



its not about not being able to lift it...its about the fact that lifting objects that heavy can cause permanent damage to a persons health, which would you prefer, the injured worker being a burden to the taxpayer or the healthy worker doing his job in an environment that sees his health and safety are the priority along with the safety of the passengers?




well 2 out of the 4 you mentioned are in politics now..



I bet you a dime that if you did stuff up your back lifting a 32kg suitcase you'd be on here complaining that you shouldn't have been forced to lift that weight.



360 Y class passengers with 2 bags each...that's 720 suitcases, I doubt that will happen in a hurry.

what they want to do is prevent injury..not cut down the amount of injuries.

Thing is though as I have mentioned QF with the aircraft they operate really have eliminated alot of issues with stacking bags into an aircraft, Baggage containers for B763 and B743 aircraft are loaded by a person standing upright they have sliding carpets in both the front and rear holds of all their B737 aircraft even though the person would be on his knees in the hold it eliminates the stretching and twisting of the back if it wasnt installed.

[Montague S]

Originally Posted by Sarah C

I agree but limiting to 20kg only particularly for an international flight is just impractical. Yes it saves money in many ways but the sheer number of people willing to pay excess to go over the 32kg these days means it is not practical.

that's ok if they are willing to pay...but others aren't and they still bring the house and the sink, like I said, they are trying to prevent injury permanently...the human spine isn't designed for those type of pressures...let me put it this way...when the human crouches down or bends over they are putting around 200kgs of pressure on their spine, add the 32kgs on top of that and you really start moving into injury area.

I know this because having a constant back injury has taught me this...until you do actually slip a disc or heaven forbid rupture one then its hard to explain the sheer pain and disruption it causes to your life.

not you personally Sarah, but anyone in general.

[Montague S]

Originally Posted by Marty H

Thing is though as I have mentioned QF with the aircraft they operate really have eliminated alot of issues with stacking bags into an aircraft, Baggage containers for B763 and B743 aircraft are loaded by a person standing upright they have sliding carpets in both the front and rear holds of all their B737 aircraft even though the person would be on his knees in the hold it eliminates the stretching and twisting of the back if it wasnt installed.

yes but what about those baggage handlers that load from the conveyor belt before the bags even get near the plane? surely the handlers are not just loading/un a/c? the bags have to get from belt to dolly/cargo container some how in a neat stack.

the English man nailed it..32kg limit because Qantas can make money out of the extra weight...that's what it comes down to.

[Marty H]

Originally Posted by Montague S

yes but what about those baggage handlers that load from the conveyor belt before the bags even get near the plane? surely the handlers are not just loading/un a/c? the bags have to get from belt to dolly/cargo container some how in a neat stack.

the English man nailed it..32kg limit because Qantas can make money out of the extra weight...that's what it comes down to.

Baggage handlers handle much higher weights than 32kg bags, what about the 50kg dogs the 50kg frozen tuna the 2 tonnes of mail that comes off some flights the 1500kg of seafood that comes off flights, the newspaper bundles the flowers and god knows what else freight we handle, QF handlers whinging over the odd 32kg bag is petty.

[NickN]

I used to work as a storeman for a company selling aged care products and we used to do 2 man lifts on 120kg ride-on scooters and load them manaually into shipping containers. I recall many days loading 40-foot containers all day with those scooters. I would take the 32kg bag any day.

[Marty H]

We deal with those also and try to use two people to deal with them.

[Scott Loveday]

Hi there,

I read some months ago on another forum that industrial action was likely soon because over the years the number of handlers in a team loading an aircraft had gradually been reduced by the airline in question, essentially to generate cost savings and allow the said department management chain to achieve performance incentives. The result was that individuals were really having to flog their bodies to get aircraft turned around on time.

Whether or not this holds any water, I don't know. But it seems a more plausible reason for unionised industrial action than just safety concerns.

[Radi K]

Originally Posted by Sarah C

The Union guy on ACA just made thier protest laughable - it was embarassing to the profession.

For the record I argue that the bags on ACA were 32kg and 20kg respectively! Prove on the scales that those bags were the respective weight... A 32kg bag is hard to lift - Grimshaw made it look way too easy..

It begs the question - is the nine network financially associated with Qantas at all?