Australia’s Qantas engineers start strikes amid pay dispute

SYDNEY, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) — Over 1,000 engineers of Australia’s national airline Qantas have walked off the job at Australia’s second-busiest airport amid a pay dispute.
Up to 1,100 aircraft engineers employed by Qantas at Melbourne Airport on Thursday participated in a four-hour work stoppage, starting a week of planned industrial action organized by the Qantas Engineers’ Alliance.
The alliance covers engineers represented by several trade unions and is calling for a five percent pay rise per year and a 15 percent first-year rise to account for 3.5 years of wage freezes.
The striking workers said it is highly likely that Thursday’s actions would impact flights around the country but the airline said contingencies are in place to avoid delays.
It comes as a rush of interstate visitors are expected to fly into Melbourne on Thursday and Friday ahead of Saturday’s Australian Football League (AFL) grand final in the city.
Paul Farrow, national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), said that the airline had refused to accept a fair deal.
Qantas in August reported a profit of 1.25 billion Australian dollars (852.8 million U.S. dollars) in the 2023-24 financial year, down 28 percent from the previous year.
Further industrial action is planned by Qantas engineers around the country. ■