Qantas Workers Strike Over Pay Dispute, Sparking Fears of Flight Delays

A Qantas Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane travels down the runway as a Qantas Boeing 717 plane lands at Sydney International Airport on June 7, 2024. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images

Australian airline Qantas is dealing with a strike from hundreds of engineers during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

The Qantas Engineers Alliance, representing line maintenance engineers from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the Australian Workers Union, and the Electrical Trades Union, said 500 engineers stepped away from the job for 24 hours on Dec. 13.

The alliance is demanding a 5 percent annual pay increase, including a 15 percent pay boost in the first year to compensate for 3.5 years of wage freezes.

Members of the alliance voted to increase industrial action if Qantas refuses to negotiate, with the majority voting for 40 partial work bans.

However, Qantas said the alliance had been asking for more than 40 percent in pay increases over three years, which was not sustainable.

Qantas Urges Passengers to Allow Plenty of Time for Travel

Despite the strike Qantas reported that more than 97 percent of flights left on time on the morning of Dec. 13.

A spokesperson said teams were working hard to ensure the industrial action had minimal impact on customer holiday plans.

“We have put a number of contingencies in place and extra resourcing on the ground to ensure our customers get away as planned,” Qantas said in a statement provided to the Epoch Times.

“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.”

Qantas also has more aircraft and crew on standby to prepare for the peak summer period, including the return of the Airbus A380 from December.

The airline said so far it had been able to manage the impact of various forms of industrial action taken by aircraft maintenance engineers since September, with no delays or cancellations to customers.

The airline added that it had offered engineers pay increases, new career pathways and more advance training.

“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 spokesperson said.

Further Industrial Action Planned

The alliance has warned of escalating industrial action if Qantas fails to negotiate, including a strike planned for Dec. 20.

Michael Wright, the national secretary of Electrical Trades Union, said Qantas could end this right now and come to the table with a fair pay offer.

“These highly skilled workers have been bargaining in good faith with Qantas,” he said.

“They have suffered pay freezes during COVID and are only asking for the fair pay they deserve. Qantas only has the safety record it does because of these workers.”

The strike follows a 6 week break in industrial action by the alliance while they attempted to negotiate with Qantas on pay.

Steve Murphy, the national secretary of Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, said aircraft maintenance workers were feeling disrespected.

“Workers have no other choice now, that during the holiday period, they will be taking industrial action to bring Qantas back to the bargaining table,” he said.

Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Farrow echoed concerns about employee treatment.

“They take their responsibilities incredibly seriously. They want to preserve Qantas’s enviable historic reputation for safety,” he said. “But that’s going to be hard to do long-term.”

Brisbane to Adelaide Flight Raises Alarm

Meanwhile, a separate incident involving a Qantas flight raised safety concerns.

On Dec. 10, a flight from Brisbane to Adelaide was forced to make an emergency landing amid concerns about the braking system.

A captain speaking in footage inside the aircraft was heard saying “we are experiencing a problem with a braking system.”

Passengers were told, “upon landing, you may experience abrupt braking and also some loud banging as some of the tyres might explode.”

A flight attendant then helped passengers prepare for the landing the brace position, ordering them, “heads down, stand down” as the plane landed safely at Brisbane airport.

Qantas shares are down 2 percent at the time of writing and are currently fetching $8.82 a piece on the Australian Stock Exchange.