Qantas Ground Workers to Strike Over Pay Next Week
Synopsis
Hundreds of Qantas ground workers handling freight and QantasLink regional flights will strike next week over pay and working conditions.
Key Highlights
- Qantas ground workers to strike over pay and working conditions next week.
- In Victoria, workers will go on strike for 24 hours on Wednesday and across the rest of Australia on Thursday.
- The Transport Workers Union warned the strike may disrupt freight, including deliveries of Australia Post.
- Qantas has said it is still determined to strike a deal with its ground services workers.
Qantas Ground Workers to Go on Strike
Hundreds of Qantas ground workers will strike next week in a pay and working conditions dispute, the Transport Workers Union said on Friday.
Workers handle freight and QantasLink regional flights. The union says workers in Victoria will walk off for 24 hours on Wednesday, while those elsewhere in Australia will strike on Thursday.
Union Warns of Freight Disruption
Workers have not decided to strike lightly, the Transport Workers Union has said. The action also warned that it may affect freight services, including Australia Post shipments.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said Qantas management would be to blame if workers did disrupt services, accusing the airline of not following through on issues its employees had raised. The planned strike follows workers and the airline being in negotiations over pay and working conditions.
Qantas Says It Wants to Strike a Deal
Qantas said it continues to negotiate in good faith with its Qantas Ground Services workers.
Qantas stated in a statement that they are still focused on agreeing on some of its annual pay rises for its Qantas Ground Services employees. In the statement, the airline did not say if any planned industrial action might impact its wider passenger operations.
Qantas has a history of disputes with ground workers
The strike, which has been on the cards since Qantas announced its decision earlier this year to outsource the jobs of more than 1,800 ground workers during COVID-19. Later, this action was also ruled as an unlawful act. The federal court ordered Qantas to pay a record A$90 million fine over the issue last year.
What Does This Mean for Australian Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
The proposed strike could send small ripples of uncertainty through Australian industries leaning on air freight services, especially if the 24-hour stoppages also impact some freight movements. Companies sending or receiving products could have to factor in dispatch schedules with the planned industrial activity
For entrepreneurs, the scenario also underscores how problems over who gets paid and under what labour conditions can spill over into broader business operations when employees are central to critical logistics and freight services.
Source: Reuters
At Inspirepreneurs Magazine, covering entrepreneurship, business failures, and the human stories behind the world's most ambitious founders. She writes at the intersection of strategy and storytelling.
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