QANTAS engineers have adopted a tough US-style "playbook" for industrial action which advocates intimidating executives to win better conditions for workers.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association has sent officials to meet powerful American airline unions as they intensify their campaign against the carrier's planned restructure.
The hostile tactics are being employed in online forums and YouTube videos, with association boss Steve Purvinas posting threatening remarks about Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce and senior managers.
The US airline unions' industrial "playbook" includes a section on how to intimidate bosses.
It suggests officials "delay and blame management, mischaracterise views on popular issues and criticise commercial decisions and priorities".
It also advocates using "back channels" to "divide and harm managers and the CEO, manipulate business relations and results, pressure senior executives and use ownership leverage".
But the hard-nosed stance has alarmed some Qantas pilots, who are also campaigning against management, with Mr Purvinas referring to Mr Joyce and management as "maggots" and "pricks" in the pilots' forum.
In a YouTube video, he also refers to Mr Joyce in saying: "Don't worry about Alan, though. We'll hopefully sort him out in the end."
He adds: "If you live near a river, take a seat and eventually the dead bodies of your enemies will come floating by."
Another post by Mr Purvinas said: "This battle we're about to enter into is not going to be as quick and as clean as it was last time. Last time we went for six weeks before the airline folded.
"We expect Alan and his new team to fight to the death - and we think that's something that we're going to have to do."
The engineers' association has also been advising the pilots' union on industrial action. However, several pilots said they were concerned about the aggressive campaign and wanted to distance themselves from the tactics.The association, which will engage in industrial action until at least December, says Qantas is planning to send its maintenance offshore, which would cost Australian jobs and threaten the safety standards of the airline.
The union is also in a wage battle with the carrier, seeking a 5.33 per cent annual increase for the next three years - which would bring the average maintenance engineer's wage to $170,000.
Mr Purvinas did not return phone calls yesterday.
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