Qantas Ground Workers Strike Over Pay and Conditions

Hundreds of ground workers for Qantas and QantasLink regional flights will conduct a nationwide strike next week to protest pay and working conditions. The industrial action is scheduled for a 24-hour period, beginning Wednesday in Victoria before extending to the rest of Australia on Thursday.

The Transport Workers Union organized the strike, with National Secretary Michael Kaine stating that any resulting disruptions to freight and Australia Post shipments sit "solely at the feet of Qantas management and its brutal disregard for customers and the workforce." Kaine added that workers "do not take this action lightly."

This labor dispute follows a significant legal conflict in which a court ordered the airline to pay a record A$90 million fine. That penalty resulted from the company illegally outsourcing more than 1,800 ground worker positions during the COVID-19 pandemic.