Hundreds of staff at airports across Australia are set to walk off the job to strike for better pay and secure work.
About 700 Qantas ground and freight staff walked out of Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth airports on Thursday morning for a 24-hour strike.
The safety staff, employed by Certis, will also strike on Monday for three hours, according to the Transport Workers Union.
The union said the Qantas staff are striking after facing years of “job insecurity and rock bottom pay” stemming back to former CEO Alan Joyce.
The workers from Qantas subsidiaries Qantas Ground Staff (QGS) and Australian Air Express (AAE), which move freight, and its passenger network QantasLink are hoping for an “urgent reset” of the airline’s business structure, better pay and more full-time jobs.
It added that a Qantas Freight worker was killed on Father’s Day in 2025, which TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said was just part of the broader issues at the airline.
“We need to see this company return to seeing its staff as an investment, not a cost to be driven down.”
“Disruption today is a direct result of Qantas management’s disregard for a long-term aviation sector in favour of billions in short-term profits.”
The union noted that security staff at Sydney Airport have also faced “years of uncertainty”.
“Our workers who work at Sydney Airport and are covered by the current enterprise agreement receive pay and conditions that, when assessed as a whole, are materially above those provided under the relevant industry award.”