Australian Workers Union state secretary Cesar Melhem said Melton, Brimbank, Hume and Moonee Valley supplied the bulk of Qantas workers to Tullamarine Airport, while Avalon Airport attracted many of its workers from Wyndham.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce last Thursday announced 500 jobs would be instantly cut from the airline's maintenance and catering services and a review of its three maintenance depots would likely result in a total of 1000 to 1500 jobs being lost.

Mr Joyce said the cuts were due to the airline retiring much of its 747 fleet, axing of two international routes, and ongoing economic volatility.

The vice-president of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association, Wesley Bell, said it was a scary time for workers.

Mr Melhem said the state government needed to lobby Qantas to keep its Victorian operations.

"What [Qantas] want to do is go from three bases to two," he said.

"Those [north and western suburbs] are very important hubs for the airports; a lot of Qantas workers are coming from there."

Qantas employee and Melton resident Sam (not his real name) said more than 20 Melton residents could be out of a job after the initial round of cuts. While he believed his job would be "safe" after 30 years of service,

many others would not be so lucky.

"I know Qantas and they will get out of it the cheapest way they can.

"They'll get rid of contractors, then part-timers and then the full-timers."

He said he felt sorry for those whose positions would be made redundant.

"They've got families and they pay the same price for petrol as I do, as well as mortgages."

He said workplace morale was at an all-time low.

"I can't see it picking up. It's the mindset of the people; it's how they feel they are being treated."