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Qantas ground crews vote for right to strike amid pay dispute
Confirmed
The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) says 97% of its members employed by Qantas Ground Services (QGS) workers voted for the right to strike in the coming weeks. Ground crew at Qantas Airways, Australia 's largest airline, voted overwhelmingly on Monday in favour of strike action over pay and job conditions.
The TWU national secretary, Michael Kaine , said: double quotation mark Last week we saw Qantas crying poor over $2bn in profits, while the board awarded itself a 17% pay rise – but workers and the public see right through it.
"These ground workers don't want to go on strike, but after being sold a false promise that this airline would finally treat them with respect, they've got no other choice," said Michael Kaine, the union's national secretary.
The workers voted to strike less than a week after Qantas reported its financial results for the last year, revealing it may hike fares after its profits dipped to a four-year low. "QGS workers are calling for job security, a fair pay rise after years of wage freezes have left them behind, and for the scattered work groups to be brought back together under a single Qantas banner, instead of being pitted against each other," the Transport Workers Union said.
Qantas on Thursday reported A$2.06 billion ($1.47 billion) in annual underlying profit before tax, a 14 per cent fall attributed to a surge in fuel costs from the Middle East conflict. This comes after long-haul pilots at Qantas also voted in favour of industrial action in early August before ultimately settling a pay agreement with the airline.
Qantas said in a statement that it was committed to reaching an agreement with its staff that included annual pay rises.
What's confirmed
- The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) says 97% of its members employed by Qantas Ground Services (QGS) workers voted for the right to strike in the coming weeks.
- The TWU national secretary, Michael Kaine , said: double quotation mark Last week we saw Qantas crying poor over $2bn in profits, while the board awarded itself a 17% pay rise – but workers and the public see right throu
- "These ground workers don't want to go on strike, but after being sold a false promise that this airline would finally treat them with respect, they've got no other choice," said Michael Kaine, the union's national secre
- The workers voted to strike less than a week after Qantas reported its financial results for the last year, revealing it may hike fares after its profits dipped to a four-year low.
- Qantas on Thursday reported A$2.06 billion ($1.47 billion) in annual underlying profit before tax, a 14 per cent fall attributed to a surge in fuel costs from the Middle East conflict.
- Qantas said in a statement that it was committed to reaching an agreement with its staff that included annual pay rises.
What's still developing
- The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) says 97% of its members employed by Qantas Ground Services (QGS) workers voted for the right to strike in the coming weeks.
- The workers voted to strike less than a week after Qantas reported its financial results for the last year, revealing it may hike fares after its profits dipped to a four-year low.
- The TWU national secretary, Michael Kaine , said: double quotation mark Last week we saw Qantas crying poor over $2bn in profits, while the board awarded itself a 17% pay rise – but workers and the public see right…
- Ground crew at Qantas Airways, Australia 's largest airline, voted overwhelmingly on Monday in favour of strike action over pay and job conditions.
- "These ground workers don't want to go on strike, but after being sold a false promise that this airline would finally treat them with respect, they've got no other choice," said Michael Kaine, the union's national…
- This comes after long-haul pilots at Qantas also voted in favour of industrial action in early August before ultimately settling a pay agreement with the airline.
- Qantas said in a statement that it was committed to reaching an agreement with its staff that included annual pay rises.
- "QGS workers are calling for job security, a fair pay rise after years of wage freezes have left them behind, and for the scattered work groups to be brought back together under a single Qantas banner, instead of…