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Qantas travelers to face delays as ground staff set to strike over pay

Sunday, 04 September 2022 10:35 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 04 September 2022 10:37 AM ]

Hundreds of Qantas baggage handlers will strike next Monday in response to a 'downward spiral of wages and conditions' (Photo by AFP)

International travelers using airlines including Qantas, Emirates and Etihad might face delays as baggage handlers agree to take strike action.

Ground handlers from Dnata, who are contracted to Qantas and over a dozen other carriers, will go on strike for 24 hours on Monday, September 12.

The decision to take the industrial action was agreed to by Dnata workers on Friday with about 350 crew planning to strike.

The Qantas spokeswoman said Dnata provided services to over 20 airlines across Australia, noting a strike could potentially have an impact across the sector.

Workers across Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide airports would stop working to demand higher payment, better working conditions and minimum guaranteed work hours.

Qantas had earlier ditched its own in-house ground handling staff and moved to outsourcing the service to other companies during the pandemic.

It is currently challenging in the High Court a recent Federal Court decision that declared the airline’s outsourcing of ground crew workers was illegal.

If it loses the appeal, Qantas could owe compensation to the roughly 1700 workers it fired during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, transport union’s national secretary Michael Kaine pinned the fall in conditions on outsourcing by Qantas and the lack of JobKeeper payments for Dnata workers under the former Morrison government.

“Ground handling is a highly-skilled job, but thousands of experienced workers have been forced out of the industry by Qantas’ illegal outsourcing and the Morrison Government refusing Dnata workers JobKeeper,” said Kaine. “Those that are left are scrambling to pick up the pieces for scraps."

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