Victorian Qantas jobs most at risk: unions

Workers at Qantas heavy maintenance sites in Victoria are likely to bear the brunt of the airline's job cuts, unions say.

More than 1000 jobs in aircraft heavy maintenance at Tullamarine and Avalon are tipped to come under closest scrutiny as Qantas reviews its operations at the two sites in Victoria and in Brisbane over the next two months.

Qantas announced on Thursday 500 jobs would be made redundant nationally and further positions are on the line as it reviews heavy maintenance and catering operations which employ more than 2000 people.

Qantas says it wants to consolidate its three heavy maintenance bases to remain sustainable, but the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association says it would be "extremely disappointed" if any of the sites closed.

ALAEA secretary Steve Purvinas said the 400 heavy maintenance jobs at Tullamarine and 660 at Avalon were at the most risk, due to tensions between management and unions.

The 400 jobs at the Brisbane heavy maintenance base were less likely to go, he said, because the site had newer facilities.

"If (Qantas) are vindictive in form, it'll (close) Tullamarine, because it's long held too strong union-wise for their liking," he told AAP.

Mr Purvinas welcomed Qantas's decision to consult unions and other stakeholders during its review over the next two months.

The Australian Services Union condemned the 500 job cuts as "unnecessary and short-sighted, sacrificing livelihoods and the long-term efficiency of the airline for short-term cost cutting".

ASU Victorian branch secretary Ingrid Stitt said the announcement that Qantas still made $202 million in underlying pre-tax profit, despite the grounding of the airline, showed job cuts were unnecessary. "These workers have contributed to sustained profits, but still they're being thrown to the dogs by Qantas," she said.

The ASU also expects Victoria will be hardest hit by the losses, saying the majority of the cuts would likely affect white-collar workers at the Tullamarine maintenance base.

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu says 200 of the 500 redundancies will take place in the state.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) described the heavy maintenance consolidation announcement as a "real blow" to its members.

AMWU national secretary Dave Oliver said Australia owed its enviable safety reputation to its engineers and maintenance standards, and the union wanted to protect this.

He said any job losses at the heavy maintenance sites would be a concern.

"We know that the engineering requirements on the new aircraft are a lot different to the current requirements on the existing fleet and so we're keen to get all those facts on the table," Mr Oliver told reporters in Melbourne.

The Australian Workers Union (AWU) believes both the Tullamarine and Avalon sites can be maintained, and called on the Victorian government to step in.

"Keeping both Victorian sites open is a realistic option which would offer certain efficiencies that cannot be overlooked," AWU Victorian branch secretary Cesar Melhem said in a statement.

Transport Workers' Union national secretary Tony Sheldon said he was disappointed Qantas didn't consult with its workforce and representatives before it announced job cuts.