A Qantas ground crew strike has begun at airports across Australia, with hundreds of freight and airport workers walking out over pay, job security and safety concerns.
The 24-hour industrial action is taking place in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Qantas said no flights had been affected, with most of those taking part working in freight operations.
The airline said passenger-service staff involved in the action were limited to ground crew supporting QantasLink operations in Sydney. Fewer than 600 Qantas employees were eligible to take protected industrial action, it said.
“We are aware of planned industrial action by some of our freight and regional workgroups in Sydney and we have contingency plans in place,” a Qantas spokesman said.
“Importantly there will be no disruption to our customers.”
The Transport Workers’ Union said the employees were divided between three companies – QAL, QGS and AAE – after the restructuring carried out under former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce.
The union said workers were seeking pay in line with industry standards, more full-time positions and additional hours after years of wage suppression. It also called for the employees to be brought back under one Qantas banner, citing safety concerns.
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said workers were being “forced once again to strike” because the alternative was “an industry of dangerously unsafe standards for them and passengers”.
The union argued that splitting the workforce had reduced experience at airports and contributed to unsafe conditions for staff and passengers. It also referred to the death of a Qantas freight worker on Father’s Day last year.
Mr Kaine said: “Under Joyce, Qantas mastered the art of creating new companies just to pay people less and take away full-time roles—not to mention the largest illegal sackings in our nation’s history.”
He added: “Qantas’ disdain for its workforce has turned careers that people were proud of into scraps of increasingly unsafe work, with a revolving-door workforce and experience in freefall.”
Qantas rejects safety concerns
Qantas rejected the union’s claims, saying there had been no increase in safety incidents since ground handling was moved to Swissport more than five years ago. The airline said recordable injuries had decreased.
The company has been negotiating with the TWU over a new QGS agreement, including through proceedings before the Fair Work Commission in September.
Qantas has also put a proposed agreement directly to QGS employees. The offer includes back pay from September 2025, wage increases of up to 26 per cent and more secure full-time and part-time work opportunities.
The airline said it remained committed to reaching agreements that delivered substantial pay increases and reflected the priorities raised by its employees.
