A significant disruption to Qantas operations looks to be avoided even as hundreds of line maintenance engineers prepare to strike on Friday, December 13th. The industrial action, spanning major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, is a direct response to ongoing wage negotiations that have reached a stalemate.
The 24-hour strike, commencing at 3:30 AM local time on Friday, will impact critical operations such as towing and marshalling aircraft but Qantas says they have put in a number of contingencies in to ensure customers get on their way despite industrial action by some of its Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs).
A Qantas Spokesperson said, “Passengers should head to the airport as they normally would. As always, unplanned maintenance issues, weather, or other events may impact operations on the day.”
Qantas AMEs, which are only a part of the overall engineering workforce, have taken various forms of industrial action since late September as part of ongoing enterprise agreement negotiations. Qantas has been able to manage the impact of this to date and they have previously not resulted in any delays or cancellations for customers.
Around 160 AMEs are rostered on during Friday’s industrial action and only members of the Alliance unions can take industrial action.
Qantas has shared, “Our teams are working hard to ensure that this industrial action has minimal impact on customers’ holiday plans and we have put a number of contingencies in place and extra resourcing on the ground to ensure our customers get away as planned. As always at this time of year our aircraft are full and airports are busy so we urge customers to give themselves more time to get through security and get to their aircraft.”
“We’re offering our engineers a competitive package including pay rises, upskilling and career progression that will enable them to earn significantly more over the next few years.”
The Qantas Engineers' Alliance (QEA), representing workers from the AMWU, AWU, and ETU, has expressed deep frustration with Qantas's refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations. The union has warned of escalating industrial action, including further strikes and work bans, if the airline continues to disregard their demands.
The QEA is seeking a 5% annual pay increase, with a 15% first-year boost to compensate for past wage freezes and align with industry standards. Qantas, however, has offered a less generous 3% annual increase over three years.
Union Leaders Reactions:
AMWU National Secretary Steve Murphy: "Qantas has broken its promise to resolve this dispute without further industrial action. Our members are feeling disrespected and are forced to take this step. Any disruptions to travel are solely Qantas's fault."
AWU National Secretary Paul Farrow: "Qantas's treatment of its skilled workforce is unacceptable. Our members are dedicated to maintaining Qantas's safety record, but their loyalty is being tested."
ETU National Secretary Michael Wright: "These highly skilled workers deserve fair pay. Qantas should come to the bargaining table with a reasonable offer to avoid further disruptions."
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