Baggage handler loses payout

[Mushaman]

Baggage handler loses payout

 

By Stephen Gibbs

November 21, 2005

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Qantas has withdrawn a confidential redundancy offer to a Sydney Airport worker who crashed a luggage loader into a passenger jet, just days after his licence was cancelled for drink-driving.

 

The airline, which had demanded the man not disclose any detail of the October 31 prang, will sack him today. The driver tested positive to cannabis after the accident, which is understood to have cost Qantas more than $1 million.

 

The Herald revealed last Wednesday that the baggage handler had been offered redundancy.

 

A court cancelled his licence for high-range drink-driving four days before the accident.

 

About 5.30am on October 31 the man was manoeuvring a belt loader towards a Boeing 737 when he says the vehicle surged forward and out of his control. The loader became jammed beneath the aircraft, damaging the undercarriage and causing the plane to be taken out of service.

 

Having lost his driver's licence, the baggage handler was also not authorised to drive airport vehicles but had not informed Qantas of his disqualification.

 

After the accident he requested a breath test, which was negative to alcohol, but a urine analysis found cannabis. The Herald has been told a test also detected ecstasy, but the baggage handler denies it.

 

He admitted yesterday to having occasionally smoked cannabis. "But tell me, who doesn't smoke a bit of pot?" he asked. He had recently given it up.

 

Last Tuesday the Herald asked Qantas if the airline had agreed to offer the man a confidential redundancy package after the belt loader accident - details of which had not been published.

 

On Friday a spokesman responded. "Following the incident, the employee was immediately stood down," he said. "We have now completed our investigation.

 

"The employee will not be returning to Qantas and will not receive redundancy. This process will be finalised on Monday."

 

The baggage handler, who worked for Qantas for six years, resents losing $20,000 in redundancy payments when another employee with a drug habit at the airport had been given time off to undergo rehabilitation. "There are a couple of blokes out there who have got problems," the sacked man said.

 

Seven months ago, when the Herald revealed a Qantas worker had paraded across the tarmac at Sydney Airport wearing a camel costume checked as domestic baggage, the airline indicated it had sacked that employee.

 

Instead, the man sacked was the one who had taken the costume out of the bag of a passenger David Cox. He had been only one of at least six baggage handlers identified in the dress-up shenanigans. The baggage handler Mr Cox saw on the tarmac wearing his camel costume, a promotional prop for the Northern Territory Tourist Commission, has recently taken redundancy, the Herald understands.

 

 

bit cheeky or silly of him borrowing the costume, gotta assume it was checked in as a costume with a tag .. not in a bag ... and he had to carry it anyway .. so he wears it over to the luggage trolly ... BUSTED ....poor guy .. lost it all for having a laugh (with cannabis in his system) :thumbdown

 

hope he sues their f'n arse off... typical heavy handed, public knee jerk reaction by Qantas .... squashing the little guy ..