PSA: A 24 Hour Qantas Strike Will Impact International Flights On Monday
Make sure to plan ahead if you’re travelling overseas on Monday, 12 September because a massive Qantas strike is likely to cause major delays across the country’s international airports.
Ground handlers will strike for 24 hours on Monday, with 350 employees across Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide Airport. The strike comes after Qantas outsourced 2,000 ground handling jobs to third-party companies last year, a decision that breached the Fair Work Act.
The Union has slammed Qantas’ handling of the matter, with national secretary for the Transport Workers Union Michael Kaine claiming union members are facing a “downward spiral of wages and conditions.”
“Ground handling is a highly-skilled job, but thousands of experienced workers have been forced out of the industry by Qantas’ illegal outsourcing and the Morrison Government refusing Dnata workers JobKeeper,” said Kaine in a press release.
“Those that are left are scrambling to pick up the pieces for scraps.”
“Qantas management’s strategy to dictate low wages and conditions from afar has turned once sought-after aviation careers into insecure jobs no one can afford to stay in. For many, it’s now a choice between going on strike for decent conditions or being forced to leave the industry.”
“Workers understand the commercial pressure they’re under from Qantas, but Dnata and Menzies must act responsibly and come back to the table to settle a fair deal or risk losing more staff.”
The strike will primarily impact international flights but could also have an effect on domestic travel plans.
Customers flying on other airlines such as Emirates and Etihad may also face delays as a result of the action.
A spokesperson for Qantas told the SMH that Dnata provides ground staff services to more than 20 airlines, and a strike could impact the sector more broadly.
Virgin Australia flights are not expected to be impacted by the strike.
We’ll be sure to update you as more information becomes available.
