SYDNEY — Chanting “What’s outrageous? Airport wages!” over 100 Transport Workers Union members rallied at the Qantas airline domestic terminal here Sept. 24. The action was part of a one-day strike by some 500 Qantas freight workers at Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth airports for improved wages, job security and safety.
“We’re not after a million dollars, we just want the basic wage increase that we’re entitled to. There’s been no increase in five years,” Gary Frew told the Militant at the rally. He has worked as a Qantas freight handler for four years, saying it’s an unsafe workplace. “The conditions are appalling. The machines are broken and don’t get fixed.” Another striker said, “I had an injury four hours ago when equipment got jammed.”
For Frew and most workers at the rally this was their first strike. They voted by 97% in August to authorize a strike.
Over the past 20 years Qantas has split its workforce by dividing the company into subsidiaries and through subcontracting. In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, it laid off 1,800 ground staff, outsourcing their jobs. The company’s goal was to “divide the workforce,” TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine told the rally. The union wants workers brought back under one unit, with one union contract.
Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, reported a profit of 1.29 billion Australian dollars ($900 million) for the 2026 financial year.
TWU members employed as luggage security screening staff joined the Sydney rally, striking for two hours.