Australian passengers have been warned to expect flight delays ahead of planned pay strikes at airports led by Qantas engineers.
It comes after Qantas engineers walked off the job on Thursday amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Strike action is planned in several other cities over the next fortnight.
Qantas failed to reach a new pay deal with its employees after the previous agreement expired in June.
Here’s what you need to know.
Strike
Members of Qantas’ Aircraft Maintenance Engineer work group – about 1,100 employees – have planned two weeks of industrial action over ongoing pay disputes.
Strikes began in Melbourne on Thursday, with action expected to spread across all major airports.
Unions (including the Australian Workers’ Union and Electrical Trades Union) are pushing for an immediate 15% pay rise, followed by a 5% pay increase per year going forward.
Union
Electrical Trade Union National Secretary Michael Wright warned Qantas is at risk of losing its skilled workers.
“It’s pretty obvious to see what’s going to happen… And we know Qantas has been struggling to attract new skilled engineers who are flocking to other employers.”
Qantas’ response
Qantas said it’s not expecting the strikes to impact flights ahead of the AFL grand final.
The airline said it was working on “putting contingencies in place” while it negotiates with employees.
A Qantas spokesperson said: “We’ve held a series of meetings with the unions and made progress on a number of items. We want to reach an agreement that includes pay rises and ensures we have a sustainable business.”
Government Response
Earlier this year, the Federal Government released the Aviation White Paper — a document detailing long-term policies to sustain the industry over the next decades.
It said it wanted to create “a diverse and skilled aviation workforce” with “secure jobs”.
Transport Minister Catherine King said she “encourages all parties to come to an agreement that minimises any disruption for passengers and delivers fair wages and secure jobs.”
