The Times Australia
The Times World News

.
Men's Weekly

.

Qantas engineers to stage nationwide walk-outs in escalation of wage dispute, impact to Monday’s peak-hour flights likely

  • Written by Qantas Engineers’ Alliance

More than a thousand Qantas engineers, fed up with management’s refusal to negotiate reasonable wages, are set to escalate the impact of their ongoing industrial action with line maintenance engineers – whose duties include the towing and marshalling of aircraft – to walk off the job during peak-hour flights on Monday morning.

 

Flights between 7am AEST/ 7am ACST/ 7am AWST to 9am AEST/ 9am ACST/ 9am AWST on Monday morning at major airports in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth will be affected as workers participate in stoppages.

 

Qantas engineers commenced industrial action on Thursday, with engines and components maintenance workers downing tools. Line maintenance engineers stopping work on Monday is likely to have a significant and immediate impact on flights. As well as towing and marshalling aircraft, line maintenance engineers perform turnaround checks on aircraft once they land to make sure they are safe to take off again. 

 

The Qantas Engineers’ Alliance — a union alliance comprising the AMWU, the AWU, and the ETU — said highly-skilled engineers had no option but to take industrial action given the refusal of Qantas management to come to the bargaining table, with further actions planned in the coming weeks.

 

Workers have been in negotiations since April, with their enterprise agreement having expired at the end of June. The wage claim made by the Alliance is for 5 percent per year, and a 15 percent first year payment to make up for 3.5 years of wage freezes.

 

Steve Murphy, AMWU National Secretary:

 

“These workers hold special and valuable skills that take a decade to build up. They were essential workers during the pandemic, and made sacrifices so Qantas would survive. Qantas needs to pay that debt back. Respect your workers, value their skills, pay them what they’re worth.

 

“As our members say, there are no car parks when you’re 30,000 feet in the air, so these maintenance engineers need to get it right the first time. If Qantas values that safety, it needs to show it values its workers. This is what this dispute is all about.”

 

Paul Farrow, AWU National Secretary:

 

“I know that there wouldn’t be a single engineer relishing the idea of delaying passengers. As a former aircraft engineer myself, I know there is real pride in getting people where they need to go safely. But management has backed them into a corner. 

 

“Qantas management has absolutely smashed morale among engineers, and now we’ve reached a real fork in the road. Engineers won’t accept seeing their wages lurch backward in real terms while executives get showered in cash.”

 

Michael Wright, ETU National Secretary:

 

“For most of Qantas’s history, Qantas engineers have been deeply respected because management has understood the vital importance of the role they play in keeping passengers safe. Under Alan Joyce that respect was torched along with a lot of Qantas’s other core values. 

 

“Vanessa Hudson needs to decide whether retaining highly skilled and experienced engineers is a priority for Qantas, or whether it’s more interested in executive bonuses. If Qantas continues to offshore maintenance because they can’t retain enough quality engineers in Australia, the safety implications are obvious.”

Times Magazine

Effective Commercial Pest Control Solutions for a Safer Workplace

Keeping a workplace clean, safe, and free from pests is essential for maintaining productivity, protecting employee health, and upholding a company's reputation. Pests pose health risks, can cause structural damage, and can lead to serious legal an...

The Science Behind Reverse Osmosis and Why It Matters

What is reverse osmosis? Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that removes contaminants by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane. This membrane allows only water molecules to pass through while blocking impurities such as...

Foodbank Queensland celebrates local hero for National Volunteer Week

Stephen Carey is a bit bananas.   He splits his time between his insurance broker business, caring for his young family, and volunteering for Foodbank Queensland one day a week. He’s even run the Bridge to Brisbane in a banana suit to raise mon...

Senior of the Year Nominations Open

The Allan Labor Government is encouraging all Victorians to recognise the valuable contributions of older members of our community by nominating them for the 2025 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards.  Minister for Ageing Ingrid Stitt today annou...

CNC Machining Meets Stage Design - Black Swan State Theatre Company & Tommotek

When artistry meets precision engineering, incredible things happen. That’s exactly what unfolded when Tommotek worked alongside the Black Swan State Theatre Company on several of their innovative stage productions. With tight deadlines and intrica...

Uniden Baby Video Monitor Review

Uniden has released another award-winning product as part of their ‘Baby Watch’ series. The BW4501 Baby Monitor is an easy to use camera for keeping eyes and ears on your little one. The camera is easy to set up and can be mounted to the wall or a...

The Times Features

Vietnam's "Gold Coast" Emerges as Extraordinary Investment Frontier and Australian Inspired Way of Life

$2 Billion super-city in Vung Tau set to replicate Australia's Gold Coast success story A culturally metamorphic development aptly named "Gold Coast" is set to reshape Vietna...

Choosing the Wrong Agent Is the #1 Regret Among Aussie Property Sellers

Selling your home is often one of the largest financial transactions you’ll make, and for many Australians, it’s also one of the most emotional. A new survey of Australian home se...

Travel Insurance for Families: What Does it Cover and Why it’s Essential

Planning a family trip is exciting, but unexpected mishaps can turn your dream vacation into a stressful ordeal. That’s where travel insurance comes in—it’s your safety net when ...

Essential Post-Surgery Care Tips for Dental Implants

Getting dental implants is a big investment—not just in your smile, but in your confidence too. But even the best implant won’t last without proper care right after surgery. Den...

First Home Buyers in Melbourne: 3 Key Statistics Proving Why Home & Land Packages Are Your Best Bet in 2025

Stepping into the Melbourne property market for the first time can feel like navigating a maze without a map. Prices, deposits, and decisions stack up fast. But here’s the good n...

International lager claims crown as Australia’s most preferred beer

Launching its inaugural ‘Brand Map of Australia’, Tracksuit reveals Corona as the nation’s most preferred beer  Sydney, Thursday, 29 May 2025 - From iconic mass-produced lager...