Qantas ground workers to strike over pay and conditions next week

September 17, 2026 8:37 PM EDT

FILE PHOTO: Qantas planes are seen at Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia, March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

By Alasdair Pal

SYDNEY, ‌Sept 18 (Reuters) - ​Hundreds ​of Qantas ground workers who handle freight and its QantasLink regional flights ‌will strike over pay and working ⁠conditions next week, the Transport Workers Union said on ‌Friday.

Workers will strike for ‌a 24-hour period on Wednesday in Victoria state and Thursday in the rest of ​the country, the union said in a statement.

"Workers do not take this action ⁠lightly. Any disruption to freight, including Australia Post shipments, sits ​solely at the feet of Qantas management and its brutal disregard for customers ​and the workforce," TWU ‌National Secretary Michael Kaine said.

"We remain committed to reaching an agreement with ⁠our Qantas Ground Services employees that includes annual pay rises for our people," a spokesperson for ⁠Qantas said in a statement.

Qantas outsourced the jobs of ​more than 1,800 ground workers in Australia who handled its broader network during the COVID-19 pandemic, in ‌action later deemed illegal. A court last year ordered the airline ‌to pay a record fine of A$90 ⁠million ($64.03 million) over the ‌matter.

($1 = 1.4057 Australian ​dollars)

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Jamie Freed and Christopher ‌Cushing)



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