Qantas engineers plan strike amid stalled wage talks

Policy

Geoffrey Thomas Editor-In-Chief - US Bureau Chief | Airline Ratings

By Sky Industry News

Dec 12, 2024

A strike by Qantas line maintenance engineers is set to occur on Friday, December 13th, across several major Australian cities. The industrial action is a response to stalled wage negotiations and will involve hundreds of engineers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

The planned 24-hour strike will begin at 3:30 AM local time and is expected to affect key operations such as aircraft towing and marshalling. Despite this, Qantas has implemented measures to minimize disruption for travelers. A company spokesperson stated, "Passengers should head to the airport as they normally would. As always, unplanned maintenance issues, weather, or other events may impact operations on the day."

Qantas Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs), part of the broader engineering workforce, have been engaging in various forms of industrial action since September as part of ongoing enterprise agreement discussions. So far, these actions have not caused delays or cancellations.

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During Friday's strike, around 160 AMEs are scheduled to work. Only union members from the Alliance unions are permitted to participate in the industrial action. Qantas emphasized their efforts to limit any potential impact on customer travel plans: “Our teams are working hard to ensure that this industrial action has minimal impact on customers’ holiday plans and we have put a number of contingencies in place and extra resourcing on the ground to ensure our customers get away as planned."

Qantas has proposed a pay package including raises and career advancement opportunities but faces resistance from the Qantas Engineers' Alliance (QEA), which represents workers from several unions including AMWU, AWU, and ETU. The union demands a 5% annual pay increase with an initial 15% raise due to past wage freezes.

Union leaders have voiced their dissatisfaction with Qantas's negotiation stance:

AMWU National Secretary Steve Murphy commented: "Qantas has broken its promise to resolve this dispute without further industrial action. Our members are feeling disrespected and are forced to take this step. Any disruptions to travel are solely Qantas's fault."

AWU National Secretary Paul Farrow remarked: "Qantas's treatment of its skilled workforce is unacceptable. Our members are dedicated to maintaining Qantas's safety record, but their loyalty is being tested."

ETU National Secretary Michael Wright added: "These highly skilled workers deserve fair pay. Qantas should come to the bargaining table with a reasonable offer to avoid further disruptions."