Ground handling workers in the Qantas supply chain are set to hold a 24-strike on Monday, hitting international operations at Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide airports, with knock-on effects for domestic travel.
The Transport Workers’ Union says hundreds of Dnata ground handlers will stage a 24-hour strike on Monday 12 September, while Menzies in NSW and Victoria will apply to the Fair Work Commission to hold a protected action ballot.
The workers face the prospect of pay and conditions going backwards, the union says. They want more guaranteed hours for part-time workers “and fair pay increases in their enterprise agreements”.
On Friday, Dnata workers voted 96% in favour of strikes, triggering protected industrial action rights under the Fair Work Act for around 350 workers across Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide.
The TWU says attempts to wind back pay and conditions for workers “expose the commercial pressure imposed by Qantas’ low-cost contracts with ground handling labour providers Dnata, Menzies and Swissport.
“Many Dnata workers are only guaranteed 20 hours per week, despite enormous understaffing and pressure on workers to get flights off the ground.”
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine called it “disappointing and distressing” that ground handling workers should have their wages and conditions threatened at a time when pressure is through the roof.
“Dnata and Menzies ground workers are forced to pursue strike action for the first time because they can’t afford to stay in this industry if the extreme downward spiral of wages and conditions continues.”
Kaine said ground handling was a highly skilled job, but thousands of experienced workers had been forced out of the industry by Qantas outsourcing and the Morrison Government refusing Dnata workers JobKeeper.
“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.”
Similar disputes are hitting travel worldwide. Across Europe, airport and airline staff have been striking, with ground staff, baggage handlers, cabin crew and pilots walking out in countries like Spain, Italy and Britain.
Qantas is also feeling the pressure. Tony Lucas, a Qantas pilot for 27 years and president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, told ABC’s Four Corners yesterday:
“All the disruptions that we’re getting, none of them, in and of themselves, are anything different to what we deal with on a day-to-day basis.
“But what we’re seeing at the moment, we’re seeing them occur multiple times in the day.
“We’re seeing them occur across multiple weeks, and ultimately that’s where things start to increase in operational complexity.
“Any one of those things on their own isn’t a big deal to deal with, but when you start adding them up all together, across multiple flights, that starts to become a concern for safety.”
Back on the groundworker front, the TWU claims there have been several safety incidents around Qantas aircraft since groundwork was outsourced across the country, “including belt loaders crashing into planes, locking pins left in landing gear and incorrect weight information given to pilots before take-off.”
Kaine said: “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.
“We need to rebalance aviation towards good, secure jobs that keep skilled workers in the industry and ensure the safety of the travelling public. The Albanese government should act urgently to implement a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to establish fair standards across the industry.”
