Qantas ground crews vote for right to strike amid pay dispute

Qantas ground handling crews may soon walk off the job after overwhelmingly voting in favour of taking industrial action to demand better pay and conditions.

The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) says 97% of its members employed by Qantas Ground Services (QGS) workers voted for the right to strike in the coming weeks. The workers had also voted to strike less than a week after Qantas reported its financial results for the last year, revealing it may hike fares after its profits dipped to a four-year low.

QGS is a subsidiary company owned by the airline, set up when Alan Joyce was still its CEO, which – according to the union – pays workers less than its “legacy” workforce. Its ground crews also perform work for Qantas Freight and the company’s regional Q-Link service, the union says.

The TWU says its health and safety reps in New South Wales have served Qantas with 14 provisional improvement notices over alleged safety failings at Qantas Freight, where a labour hire worker died last year.

The TWU national secretary the workers had had enough with the company’s false promises, which was why they had gone on strike. A Qantas spokesperson said they remain committed to reaching an agreement with our Qantas Ground Services employees that includes annual pay rises for their employees.