Ground personnel employed by Qantas Ground Services have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, the Transport Workers Union said, escalating a labour dispute at Australia’s largest airline.
The union reported that 97% of 350 workers who cast ballots supported industrial action. The proposed measures include stoppages varying from one hour up to 24 hours. No specific date for a strike has been announced, and the union must provide three days' notice before any industrial action commences.
Michael Kaine, the union’s national secretary, said: "These ground workers don’t want to go on strike, but after being sold a false promise that this airline would finally treat them with respect, they’ve got no other choice." The union added that the workers had seen their "pay, safety and conditions drop to rock-bottom levels."
The threat of strike action follows a recent episode in which Qantas’ long-haul pilots voted in early August in favour of industrial action before ultimately agreeing a wage deal with the airline. That outcome underscores the potential for negotiations to reach resolution before walkouts occur, but it also illustrates the risk of further disruption if talks break down.
Qantas issued a statement saying it remains committed to securing an agreement that includes annual pay rises, while noting that the precise elements of its offer were not specified in the statement. The airline said: "Discussions through the Fair Work Commission have been constructive and negotiations are continuing." It added: "Our focus is on an agreement that addresses what employees have told us matters most, including pay and more full-time opportunities." Qantas also said it has contingency plans designed to minimise any operational impact should a strike take place.
Employees affected by the vote work for the Qantas subsidiary Qantas Ground Services. They are employed in casual and part-time roles and provide services for Qantas Freight and the regional Q-Link operation, rather than for mainline and international services.
The Transport Workers Union said QGS staff are seeking greater job security, a fair pay rise after years of wage freezes, and consolidation of dispersed work groups under a single Qantas banner rather than remaining in separate groups that the union says pit workers against each other.
Both Qantas and the union are scheduled to return to the Fair Work Commission for further discussions on September 18.
In its financial results released on Thursday, Qantas reported A$2.06 billion in annual underlying profit before tax, a decline of 14% that the company attributed to a surge in fuel costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East. The company provided the currency conversion used in its statement: $1 = 1.3970 Australian dollars.
Context and next steps
The ballot result gives the union the authority to call industrial action within the parameters described, subject to the three-day notice requirement. With a Fair Work Commission meeting scheduled for mid-September, both sides have a formal avenue for negotiation, and Qantas has signalled it seeks to reach an agreement that addresses pay and full-time role availability.