Hundreds of Qantas engineers have walked off the job as negotiations between the airline and unions reach a stalemate.
More than 500 engineers in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth have stopped work for more than 24 hours from 3.30am Friday until 7.30am Saturday.
The Qantas Engineers’ Alliance, made up of members from three unions, said the strike would affect passengers at the major airports as it involved line maintenance engineers who marshalled and towed aircraft.
Qantas has said it has contingencies in place and there would likely be minimal disruptions.
The workers belong to either the Australian Workers Union (AWU), Electrical Trades Union (ETU) or the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU).
The engineers are requesting a 25 per cent pay rise under negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement, which the airline did not meet after the previous agreement expired in June.
The airline has offered a 3 per cent pay increase per year for the next three years and argued this would allow ‘engineers to earn significantly more over the next few years’.
More to follow.
Passengers on Qantas flight in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth could be affected by a strike of the airline’s engineers on Friday
