Australia's Qantas says engineer strike not expected to impact customers

(Reuters) -Australia's flag carrier Qantas Airways said on Friday it does not expect an impact on customers from a strike planned by some of its engineering work groups ahead of the annual general meeting scheduled for later in the day.

The Qantas Engineers' Alliance — comprising the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU), The Australian Workers' Union and Electrical Trades Union — has been on strike since late-September, demanding a 5% annual pay rise and a 15% first-year payment.

Qantas Engineers' Alliance said workers are stepping up for the industrial action as their "calls for fair pay have been ignored."

"The workers who deliver Qantas’ world-class safety record have fallen off their radar. Vanessa Hudson needs to show that she can land a fair deal that gets these workers back on the job and the planes safely back into the air," AMWU National Secretary Steve Murphy said.

The carrier had a "number of meetings" with the unions prior to the industrial action, aiming to reach an agreement that includes pay rises and other benefits, a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement.

"We want to continue to engage with them to find a way forward, but they have chosen to take action," the spokesperson said.

(Reporting by Echha Jain in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Shivangi Lahiri; editing by Alan Barona)

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