Passengers booked on a flight with budget airline Jetstar could have their holiday plans disrupted, with ground crew, baggage handlers and pilots expected to strike in the weeks leading up to Christmas and beyond.
Key points:
- Jetstar ground crew, baggage handlers and pilots have voted to do a series of strikes in the lead up to Christmas and beyond
- The Transport Workers Union says workers are struggling on low pay, but the company says its offer of a 3 per cent annual wage increase is reasonable
- The pilots union, the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP), also wants better pay and conditions
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) said on Friday that about 250 Jetstar workers in Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon, Brisbane, Cairns and Adelaide had voted in favour of taking protected industrial action, which could include work stoppages of up to 24 hours.
In addition, 650 Jetstar pilots — part of the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) — have also voted to strike.
The decision to strike was taken after the airline rejected demands for better employment conditions relating to pay and working hours.
The TWU said the union must give the company three working-days' notice before taking industrial action, so the earliest a strike could take place would be on Thursday.
But there could be a number of short strikes in the lead up to Christmas and beyond, it added.