Airport Disruptions As 1000 Workers Strike This Weekend
Image: twu.nsw/Instagram
Travellers are warned to expect disruptions at major airports around the country, with more than 1000 ground handlers going on strike.
The Transport Workers Union said workers at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports stopped work for four hours on Friday as part of a long running dispute with airport contractor Dnata over pay and working conditions.
Owned by the Emirates group, Dnata services 21 airlines, including Emirates, Japan Airlines, Singapore, and Qantas. Although Qantas only works with Dnata for international flights, the airline put contingency plans in place, and has so far been unaffected.
“We are ready to support our airline partners in mitigating the impact on their operations and encourage passengers travelling today to stay alert for messages from their airline,” said a Sydney Airport spokesperson.
TWU secretary, Michael Kaine said workers were sorry for the disruption, but “that’s the nature of industrial action.”
“These workers are trying to rebuild aviation jobs that were destroyed under a decade of outsourcing to the lowest bidder under Alan Joyce,” he said.
“They deferred strike action over Christmas but after almost a year of negotiations, they can’t wait any longer. Without this action now we’ll continue to see standards at our airports plummet.”
Strike inevitable after year-long pay dispute
Dnata workers are only guaranteed 24 hours of work per week, and are calling for overtime and penalties.
An in-principle agreement struck between the union and the contractor just before Christmas last year involved an 11 per cent pay rise over two years, but the TWU said the deal was not what as promised when further details were revealed.
“[Workers] are owed improvements in their pay and conditions from June last year, and they’ve said enough is enough, and they’ve taken the very brave step of taking industrial action to get a better deal for themselves and their families,” said Kaine.
A spokeswoman for Dnata said they were “deeply disappointed” at the withdrawal, and claimed the deal had involved an immediate 8.5 per cent pay rise for most employees. She said the immediate pay rise of 11 per cent, in addition to a 6 per cent increase in six month that the union were requesting was impractical given the current economy.
“Such demands are neither realistic nor sustainable, and contradict the principles of constructive and balanced bargaining,” she said. “Implementing them would threaten the sustainability of our operations and put nearly 5000 jobs at risk.”
The TWU are hoping the company returns to the bargaining table.
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