Qantas workers begin 24-hour strike at four Australian airports, union says

Qantas airport staff initiated a 24-hour strike across Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth airports on Thursday, according to the Australia’s Transport Worker’s Union (TWU). The union reported the strike involved employees from Qantas Ground Services (QGS), Australian air Express (AAE) freight operations, and regional carrier QantasLink.

The workers were pressing for pay increases to match industry standards, more permanent positions, and a unified Qantas structure to replace the current subsidiary system. The TWU argued that the company’s fragmented workforce and the use of multiple subsidiaries had compromised safety standards.

In Sydney, up to 400 safety screeners were scheduled for two two-hour stoppages, with a three-hour stoppage planned on September 28. TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine emphasized that "Strike action is always a last resort, but we are literally seeing workers maimed and killed keeping these critical services going."

The union criticized Qantas’ labor structure, calling for a "fundamental reset" following years of cost-cutting. Qantas had previously outsourced the jobs of over 1,800 ground workers in Australia handling its broader network during the COVID-19 pandemic, an action later deemed illegal. A court fined the airline a record A$90 million ($64.03 million) over the matter. Qantas did not comment on the Reuters request for information.