More than 1,000 Qantas engineers across Australia are set to walk off the job, warning of potential flight disruptions in major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

The industrial action, scheduled to take place during peak-hour travel on Monday morning, could affect flights between 7 am and 9 am across three time zones, with Adelaide and Perth also being impacted.

However, Qantas has reassured passengers that it has contingencies in place and does not expect travel to be disrupted.

The two-hour strike is part of a prolonged dispute between Qantas management and line maintenance engineers.

These engineers play a crucial role in ensuring aircraft are safe and ready for takeoff, handling tasks such as towing, marshalling, and turnaround checks on the tarmac.

This follows industrial action last week, where engineers responsible for engines and components maintenance halted work.

The engineers are represented by a union alliance consisting of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU).

The alliance is pushing for a 5% annual pay increase, along with a 15% first-year payment to compensate for more than three years of wage freezes.

Negotiations have been ongoing since April, as the engineers’ enterprise agreement expired at the end of June.

According to Paul Farrow, National Secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union, Qantas management has “backed [the engineers] into a corner.”

Farrow, a former aircraft engineer himself, expressed that the engineers take great pride in ensuring safe travel for passengers but feel their wages are slipping in real terms as executives continue to receive substantial compensation packages.

This sentiment comes after the Qantas board cut former CEO Alan Joyce’s final pay packet by $9.26 million, reducing his total earnings for the 2022-23 financial year from $21.4 million.

Despite this, the engineers argue that they have not seen fair compensation for their efforts during the challenging post-pandemic recovery period for the aviation industry.

Qantas has been notified of the planned industrial action and said it remains committed to working toward a resolution.

A spokesperson from the airline emphasized that there have been no disruptions to flights caused by the strike so far, with any recent delays being attributed to wild weather.

They noted that teams have worked hard to ensure passengers reached their destinations over the busy weekend, which coincided with school holidays and major sporting events.

The spokesperson also said that progress has been made in wage negotiations with the unions, with meetings being held to address key issues. “We want to reach an agreement that includes pay rises and lifestyle benefits for our people,” they said.

Qantas reported a profit of $1.25 billion for the 2023-24 financial year, a 28.3% drop from the previous year.

New CEO Vanessa Hudson has indicated that the airline is striving to balance the needs of shareholders, employees, and customers.

In the global aviation industry, other airlines in Asia, Europe, and America have also faced disruptions due to strikes and labor issues.

Governments and official bodies in countries such as the UK, the US, and various parts of Asia have been involved in resolving these disputes, as airlines work to navigate challenges in the post-pandemic travel landscape.

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