Today, thousands of airline passengers are experiencing chaos as workers from Qantas and Customs strike regarding pay and working conditions at airports nationwide.
Baggage handlers, caterers, and ramp crews going on strike this morning will disrupt nearly 7,000 Qantas passengers, with Customs staff at international airports also participating in the strike due to a pay dispute.
Workers from Qantas commenced a two-hour walk-off starting at 6:00am (AEDT) for stop work meetings after discussions yesterday failed to address concerns surrounding pay and job security. Additional two-hour stop work meetings are scheduled for this afternoon.
Justin Kelly from Qantas reported the cancellation of 14 flights and delays for 38 others.
“The strikes [have been] strategically planned to coincide with the busy morning and afternoon peak periods, occurring in two-hour segments in the AM and PM,” he stated.
In Canberra, union members are set to cease work in a single four-hour block beginning at 4:00pm. However, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) asserts that their industrial action is not aimed at politicians.
Ben Sweaney from the TWU mentioned that today’s strike action by baggage handlers has been meticulously calculated based on each airport’s shift schedule.
“Unfortunately, this means that parliamentarians and their staff in the ACT may face certain delays,” he noted.
“Nevertheless, Qantas is responsible for all unnecessary delays, as the company had ample notice to implement contingency plans to mitigate these issues.”
Passengers at international airports will also encounter delays as Customs officers participate in the strike.
Customs staff plan to strike at airports for as long as four hours to support a pay claim seeking a 13 percent increase over three years.