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Sydney Airport has seen two strikes by the Transport Workers’ Union on the same day.
Qantas ground staff and Certis security screening staff have both taken industrial action on Thursday, with QGS employees walking off the job for a full 24 hours and Certis staff staging a pair of two-hour walkouts.
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In response, Sydney Airport has implemented contingency planning to minimise disruption, including rostering extra staff in baggage rooms and passenger facilitation staff in the terminals.
“We are working closely with our airport partners and have contingency measures in place to minimise disruption and support passenger safety. Passengers travelling today should allow extra time and stay alert for messages from their airline,” an airport spokesperson said.
In a statement, TWU national secretary Michael Kaine lambasted Qantas for “underhanded conduct of dividing its workforce among multiple subsidiaries”.
“Workers today are standing up for what Australian aviation should be: an industry of good careers that functions properly for the public, not a vehicle for executive bonuses,” he said.
“Qantas management is still reading from the Alan Joyce playbook that gutted one of the most iconic Australian companies in history.
“For Qantas to return to the flying kangaroo that workers and the public used to be proud of, management needs a fundamental reset. We need to see this company return to seeing its staff as an investment, not a cost to be ruthlessly driven down.
“Strike action is always a last resort, but we are literally seeing workers maimed and killed keeping these critical services going. Disruption today is a direct result of Qantas management’s appalling disregard for a reliable long-term aviation sector in favour of billions in short-term profits.”
According to TWU NSW secretary Richard Olsen, meanwhile, Sydney Airport security workers “have faced years of uncertainty, with Sydney Airport’s threats to end contracts draining experience and leading to job insecurity, poor pay, and dangerously low standards for workers and passengers”.
“Security staff are on strike alongside Qantas workers today because the most profitable airport in the country has driven down their wages and conditions for years,” he said.
“Sydney Airport has no problem charging the travelling public a small fortune for parking, but refuses to guarantee decent jobs for workers providing crucial safety services.
“Sydney Airport must step in and properly fund the companies it uses to carry out these critical services for millions of travellers every year.”
Another three-hour stoppage by Certis staff is planned for 28 September, while QGS staff are also striking at Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.
Qantas has been contacted for comment.
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