Hundreds of dnata staff are planning to walk off the job on Thursday night and Friday morning at Perth Airport, disrupting international flights and cargo movements.
They are demanding fair pay and secure jobs in the face of dnata’s “race-to-the-bottom tactics”.
A statement from the Transport Workers Union claims Perth dnata workers, covering passenger services, ramp and cargo, are the lowest paid dnata workers in the country.
The union says that despite doing the same work as their eastern states counterparts, they’re paid much less.
Flights to Singapore, the UAE, South Africa, Vietnam, New Zealand and some air freight will be affected as a result of the strike.
“Western Australians need to fly just as much as people in Sydney, so why are Perth workers penalised with poverty wages?” said Transport Workers Union WA State Secretary Tim Dawson.
“This company is detached from reality. Dnata employees shouldn’t have to move to receive a fair income.”
The strike follows dnata workers overwhelmingly rejecting the company’s substandard agreement, with 79% voting it down.
Workers then voted 94.7% in favour of taking protected industrial action, frustrated at dnata’s refusal to address rostering, job security and pay.
According to the union, dnata’s cut-rate contracts are a direct result of Qantas’s illegal outsourcing of 1,800 ground workers, which has driven down wages and job security across aviation.
Workers now face unstable rosters, fewer hours and suppressed wages, while dnata competes with other companies desperately trying to win contracts at the expense of workers.
“Ground workers are demanding more hours, fairer rosters and decent pay to rebuild aviation jobs that have been smashed by Qantas’s outsourcing and dnata’s low-road approach,” Mr. Dawson said.
“When companies slash pay and conditions, planes don’t leave on time and passengers are left stranded. It’s bad for workers, bad for passengers and bad for WA.”
The TWU is calling for urgent reform to fix Australia’s broken aviation industry and prevent further crises:
# Airports: To prioritise workers and customers over record profits.
# Airlines: Guarantee safe, secure, and fairly paid jobs for all workers, direct or contracted.
# Governments: Establish a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to ensure aviation is safe and sustainable.
# Regulators: Reset objectives to protect aviation workers and the travelling public.
“Western Australians deserve a safe, reliable aviation industry,” Mr. Dawson said. “That starts with decent, secure jobs – not poverty wages and management telling workers to uproot their lives just to be treated fairly.”
# Air Canada has reportedly reached a deal with the flight attendant union to end strike action and operations will slowly restart.
The action by 10,000 flight attendants disrupted the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers. It could be seven to 10 days before the airline is back at full capacity.
Air Canada flights will resume ex Sydney (AC34) and Brisbane (AC36) on Friday, August 22.
