Qantas Ground Workers to Strike Next Week Over Pay and Conditions

Hundreds of Qantas ground workers will walk off the job next week in a dispute over pay and working conditions, the Transport Workers Union said on Friday.

The workers, who handle freight and the airline's QantasLink regional flights, will strike for 24 hours in Victoria on Wednesday and across the rest of the country on Thursday, the union said in a statement.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said the decision to strike was not taken lightly and placed any disruption to freight, including Australia Post shipments, on Qantas management. He accused the airline of a "brutal disregard" for customers and its workforce.

Qantas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The action comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute over the airline's pandemic-era restructuring. Qantas outsourced the jobs of more than 1,800 ground workers who handled its broader network during COVID-19, a move later found to be illegal. A court last year ordered the airline to pay a record fine of A$90 million over the matter.