Major airports across the country could face delays and disruptions on Friday, as 500 Qantas engineers began a 24-hour strike over a wage dispute.
The strike, which comes during the busy festive season, started at 3.30am on Friday when Qantas line maintenance workers walked off the job.
They are not expected to return until 7.30am on Saturday.
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The industrial action is expected to affect five major airports — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth —while Canberra and Darwin airports remain unaffected.
The Qantas Engineers’ Alliance said the strike would likely have an immediate impact, as line maintenance engineers are responsible for critical tasks such as towing and marshalling aircraft.
“Workers have no other choice now, that during the holiday period, they will be taking industrial action to bring Qantas back to the bargaining table,” Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) national secretary Steve Murphy said.
The Qantas Engineers’ Alliance, which includes the AMWU, the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), made the decision to strike following a breakdown in negotiations over their demand for a 25 per cent pay rise over the next three years.
The ETU’s national secretary Michael Wright said workers “suffered pay freezes during COVID” and were now seeking compensation for those wage freezes.
The unions initially proposed a 15 per cent pay rise in the first year, followed by 5 per cent annual increases for the next two years, totalling 25 per cent over three years.
However, the unions claim Qantas “refused to budge” on its offer of a 3 per cent annual increase, even after they reduced their initial demand.
The airline maintains that it has offered a “competitive package” that includes “pay rises, upskilling, and career progression opportunities”.
Qantas is not overly concerned about potential delays, saying that it has implemented several contingencies to minimise disruptions.
“Around 160 aircraft maintenance engineers are rostered on during Friday’s industrial action and only members of the alliance unions can take industrial action,” said Qantas.
The airline said it will continue to work with the union to reach a resolution.
If an agreement is not reached, the unions have planned more work stoppages, with another strike scheduled for Friday, December 20.
Friday was expected to be the busiest domestic travel day at Sydney Airport since 2019, with over 81,000 passengers predicted to pass through the airport.
Over the next six weeks, more than 13.5 million people are expected to fly in or out of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane as the official summer holiday travel period begins.