After months of dispute between Qantas
management and its maintenance engineers, it has seen tension hit an all-time high. More than 1,000 engineers are set to walk off the job this week. However, the airline has stressed to its customers that it has contingencies in place and does not expect to see any major disruptions to travel. Today, between 07:00 and 09:00, across three Australian time zones, will see the maintenance engineers down tools in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.

15% first-year payment demanded

The Qantas Engineer’s Alliance has demanded between a 15% first-year payment and a 5% per year continued pay rise to cover the last three years of wage freezes, and the strike, which is expected to go on for two weeks, has already started in Melbourne
last week. Line maintenance engineers, which walked off the job last Thursday, tow and marshall aircraft, while performing turnaround checks on aircraft.

A Qantas Boeing 737 taking off

Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock

Qantas workers have been in stiff negotiations since April, and the enterprise agreement expired at the end of June. The Union has stressed that these workers are well-trained and hold valuable skills that can take decades to learn. These essential workers were an integral part of the airline during the pandemic and took sacrifices so the airline could survive. National secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Steve Murphy stressed this in a report by 9News:

“Qantas needs to pay that debt back. Respect your workers, value their skills, pay them what they’re worth.”

Dwindling morale at the Australian carrier

As stressed by the AWU, Paul Farrow noted in a report by the Guardian that engineers have real pride in what they do. However, the airline has ‘smashed morale’ among its engineers. They have accepted the status quo, where they have seen no increase in wages, while senior management continues to get ‘showered in cash.’

At the same time as intense negotiations with its engineers, Qantas is hoping its short-haul pilots will support a pay deal that will freeze wages but increase 30% of structural changes that reflect compensation and rosters. Short-haul
pilots have claimed that the deal isn’t generous enough and should be improved.

QantasLink,_operated_by_National_Jet_Systems,_(VH-X4A)_Airbus_A220-300_taxiing_at_Canberra_Airport

Qantas believes it will come to an agreement with its engineers soon, noting:

“We’ve held a series of meetings with the unions and made progress on a number of items. We want to reach an agreement that includes pay rises and ensures we have a sustainable business.”

The Australian Government has also intervened, releasing an Aviation White Paper earlier this year. The paper notes that the aviation scene needs long-term policies to sustain demand and growth over the next few decades. The Government wants a creative, skilled, and diverse workforce, and the Transport Minister, Catherine King, has ‘encouraged all parties to come to an agreement that can minimize any disruption to passengers while maintaining fair wages and secure jobs.’

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