QF Baggage Handlers Want Reduction In Baggage Weight

[Marty H]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=67340

[Shameel Kumar]

Well they're asking for the weight limit to be reduced to 20kg... if QF are willing to budge I'm guessing they'll go down to 23kg to be in-line with other carriers.

Wouldn't it be to QF's benefit to lower their baggage weight allowance since it means a slight weight saving for each flight?

Also, for flights to USA, is there a rule set by the FAA that airlines have to offer at least 32kg baggage allowance, or would QF be able to lower their baggage weight allowance for flights to/from USA?

[Marty H]

They are asking for 20kg to be the maximum, now lets look at QF and there aircraft and the way they are loaded B737-400 and B737-800 have sliding carpets in both the forward and rear holds, making it easier to stack the bags, generally start with heavier bags at the bottom and as you move higher the person sending the bags up should send up lighter bags, myself I generally know I will get 20 bags in a row, so when Im sending bags to the person in the hold I generally will send up heavier bags for the first 10 and then the last 10 they will be lighter bags.

B767-300 are all containers apart from the small rear compartment in the tail but a majority of bags in this situation are loaded into the container in the bag room where the person is standing up right and shouldnt pose to much of an issue with injury.

Dash 8 all versions would be manually loaded but they are fairly high holds so a person could just about load them standing up.

My 2 cents a whole lot of bleating over nothing, Im 6ft 5ins tall and I havent had any injuries thus far, IMO its all how a person approaches the job and if they choose to do it correctly or not as to weather they get injuried.

If QF BH want to complain about loading a hold they should go have a look at a Skywest F100 hold where the guy stacks it lying down.

[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.

[D Chan]

ACA just ran a story on the issue and they interviewed an union rep. ACA also did a demonstration with the host lifting a 32 kg bag, and having an 8 yr old child lifting a 20 kg bag. The LTI injury figures were then mentioned by Tracey - and according to her, the Lost time injuries (from baggage handling) has dropped every year for the last few years. Responding to that the union official claimed Qantas has lied about their figures. I would assume that if the baggage handlers were injured, they would report it and the stats that come out wouldn't lie.

Sarah, your point is quite interesting because when that technology comes (eventually), the unions will probably switch their focus from 'injuries' to 'loss of work' etc.

[Shameel Kumar]

Originally Posted by D Chan

..the unions will probably switch their focus from 'injuries' to 'loss of work' etc.

Unions.... uhh...

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.

Agreed!! If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! I for one am one of those people who would happy take up a baggage handling job at an airport.

[Raymond Rowe]

Originally Posted by Shameel Kumar

Unions.... uhh...





I for one am one of those people who would happy take up a baggage handling job at an airport.

Why is it the younger generation is trying to strip all working conditions that have been hard fought for.People have to live and if anyone should be worried about the future working conditions it should be all you younger ones.

[Sarah C]

Originally Posted by Shameel Kumar

Unions.... uhh...





Agreed!! If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! I for one am one of those people who would happy take up a baggage handling job at an airport.

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

I did a manual job for 6 years - it was hard work, a lot of lifting but I knew what the job was about. If I didn't like it, I could quit at any time.

[Nigel C]

Greedy union officials and political agendas that aren't in the best interests of workers might be one reason Ray.

When was the last time Sharon Burrow, Bill Shorten, Greg Combe, Doug Cameron or any other union official for that matter, went without pay while their members were out on strike and lost a days pay?

Are the officials really there just for the benefit of their members? Or are they really there to feather their own political nest?
A brief look at the Labor Party should give you a hint about my scepticism.

I could go on, but this isn't the aus.politics forum.

[Montague S]

Originally Posted by Sarah C

I did a manual job for 6 years - it was hard work, a lot of lifting but I knew what the job was about. If I didn't like it, I could quit at any time.

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.

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.

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?

When was the last time Sharon Burrow, Bill Shorten, Greg Combe, Doug Cameron or any other union official for that matter, went without pay while their members were out on strike and lost a days pay?

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

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! I for one am one of those people who would happy take up a baggage handling job at an airport.

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.

Making the limit 2 20kg bags actually increases the work for handlers.

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.