Travelers in Australia have been warned to prepare for possible 'disruptions' at airports across the country, with more than 1,000 workers set to strike.
Ground workers are expected to leave their jobs on Friday as they take a four-hour break amid wage negotiations that have reached a breaking point.
“There will be disruptions today. You don't take a thousand people out of ground services in Australia without disruption,” said Michael Kaine, national secretary of the Transport Workers Union.
“These workers have been stuck in negotiations for a year and still have no certainty about decent working conditions,” he said.
Sydney Airport has advised passengers to check with their airline about any possible delays.
Passengers at Sydney Airport have been told to expect delays on Friday as more than 1,000 ground staff are ordered off work (file image)
“We are ready to support our airline partners in mitigating the impact on their operations and encourage passengers traveling today to remain alert to communications from their airlines,” a spokeswoman said.
Brisbane and Melbourne airports are also expected to be affected by the work stoppages.
The crew all work for dnata, a multinational airport services company that provides ground handling, cargo, travel and flight catering services around the world.
The Transport Workers Union claims a decade of cost-cutting and job stripping by Qantas has left the sector low-paid, highly informal and unable to attract and retain workers.
The union claims that companies like Swissport are getting work again, but DNA is lagging behind.
“These workers are trying to rebuild aviation jobs destroyed by a decade of outsourcing to the lowest bidder under Alan Joyce,” said Michael Kaine, national secretary of the TWU.
'They postponed strike action over Christmas, but after almost a year of negotiations they cannot wait any longer. Without this action we will continue to see standards at our airports decline.
'Employees at dnata and across the aviation sector face poor schedules, low guaranteed hours and the threat of their company losing a contract to a lower bidder.
It has become a revolving door because even if they manage to get workers in, they cannot retain them due to poor conditions.”
