kabarsula Qantas ground crew vote for industrial action ahead of school holidays bandar SLOT INDONESIA

The September school holidays could face disruption after Qantas ground crew overwhelmingly voted in favour of industrial action.

The Transport Workers Union said 97 per cent of its members employed by Qantas Ground Services supported 10 proposed actions, including stoppages of between one and 24 hours, training bans and overtime bans.

More than half of Qantas Ground Services’ total workforce voted in favour of the action. Of the 650 staff, 400 are union members and 350 took part in the ballot.

The vote follows lengthy negotiations over a new enterprise agreement, with the union citing concerns around pay, job security and safety.

If the industrial action goes ahead, it will impact Qantas Freight and QantasLink services, rather than the airline’s main domestic and international services.

Both parties will return to the Fair Work Commission in September, with Qantas due to present a more detailed proposal.

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine, quoted in The Australian, said workers had been hesitant to take industrial action but had been sold a “false promise that Qantas would finally treat them with respect”.

“It’s time for Qantas to start treating its people as an investment, not a cost to be ruthlessly driven down, and these workers are willing to take industrial action to force them to.”

The spring school holidays begin on September 18 in Queensland and Victoria, followed by NSW and South Australia a week later.

Qantas said it had “developed contingency plans to minimise any impact on customers and our operations, should we be notified of any industrial action”.

It said it remained “committed to reaching an agreement with our Qantas Ground Services employees that includes annual pay rises for our people”.

“Discussions through the Fair Work Commission have been constructive and negotiations are continuing. Our focus is on an agreement that addresses what employees have told us matters most, including pay and more full-time opportunities,” it said.