Qantas Airport Workers Walk Out in 24-Hour Strike Across Four Cities

Qantas airport workers began a 24-hour strike on Thursday at airports in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, according to the Transport Workers' Union (TWU), pressing demands for higher pay, more secure employment and improved safety standards.

The industrial action involves staff from Qantas Ground Services, Australian air Express freight operations and the regional carrier QantasLink, the union said.

Workers are seeking pay increases in line with industry standards, a greater number of full-time positions and the consolidation of work groups under a single Qantas structure. The union argued that the airline's use of multiple subsidiaries has fragmented its workforce and weakened safety standards.

In Sydney, up to 400 safety screeners were set to join the action, staging two sets of two-hour stoppages, with a further three-hour stoppage planned for September 28, the TWU said.

"Strike action is always a last resort, but we are literally seeing workers maimed and killed keeping these critical services going," TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said in a statement.

The union also criticised Qantas' labour structure, saying the airline needs a "fundamental reset" after years of cost-cutting.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Qantas outsourced the jobs of more than 1,800 ground workers who handled its broader network in Australia, an action later deemed illegal. A court last year ordered the airline to pay a record fine of A$90 million (about $64.03 million) over the matter.

Qantas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.