Qantas awaits labour tribunal decision

Qantas Airways awaited the decision of the labour tribunal in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, where the airline sparred with unions over who was to blame for the industrial unrest.Fair Work Australia was due to rule on whether the industrial action should be suspended or terminated, to allow the airline and unions to get back to the negotiating table. The tribunal was hearing final submissions from the airline, the unions and the Australian government.Qantas grounded its entire fleet on Saturday, stranding tens of thousands of passengers around the world. The airline said it had cancelled 447 flights affecting more than 68,000 passengers by Sunday afternoon. It was seeking to bring to a head a prolonged, bitter battle with its unions over pay and working conditions and a strategy to set up two new airlines in Asia.The national carrier, which made a pre-tax profit of $552 million in the year to June 30, plans to cut 1,000 jobs and order $9 billion worth of new aircraft as part of a makeover to salvage its loss-making international business.The escalation in the dispute angered the government and came as an embarrassment for Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who was hosting a summit of Commonwealth leaders in the western city of Perth, 17 of them booked to fly out on Sunday with Qantas.