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Qantas passengers flying internationally face disruption on Monday, 12 September, after Dnata ground handlers voted to strike for 24 hours. The TWU revealed on Sunday morning that 96 per cent of those polled agreed to the move, which will see 350 employees across Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide airports stop working. It comes after Qantas outsourced 2,000 in-house ground handling roles to third-party companies, including Dnata and Swissport last year. The Federal Court twice ruled that decision breached the Fair Work Act, but crucially said those employees won’t be able to get their old jobs back and instead must accept compensation. The vote on industrial action, including potential strikes, opened on last Monday and closed on Friday, 2 September. It could also potentially affect those travelling on Emirates and Etihad, which also utilise Dnata ground handlers. The union’s national secretary, Michael Kaine, argued his members are facing a “downward spiral of wages and conditions” and are only guaranteed 20 hours per week. “Ground handling is a highly-skilled job, but thousands of experienced workers have been forced out of the industry by Qantas’ illegal outsourcing and the Morrison Government refusing Dnata workers JobKeeper,” said Kaine. “Those that are left are scrambling to pick up the pieces for scraps. Qantas management’s strategy to dictate low wages and conditions from afar has turned once sought-after aviation careers into insecure jobs no one can afford to stay in. For many, it’s now a choice between going on strike for decent conditions or being forced to leave the industry. Workers understand the commercial pressure they’re under from Qantas, but Dnata and Menzies must act responsibly and come back to the table to settle a fair deal or risk losing more staff."<br/>

Qantas has an enviable safety record, consistently ranked as either the safest airline in the world or not far from it. Since the dawn of the Jet Age, it has never suffered a fatal accident or lost an aeroplane hull, which is a credit to its staff and its leadership. But in the aviation chaos of the past few months — amid huge numbers of delayed flights, cancelled flights, and after the loss of experienced staff — employees have told us about their fears that the stellar reputation of the airline they love could be undermined. "As frustrating as it is for passengers, for pilots it means we're working a lot harder to keep the flights on schedule," one Qantas pilot said. "We're working longer hours. We are red-lining, running at max capacity in a very dynamic, challenging environment. There's a lot that can go wrong." A licensed engineer said: "The planned work for the night, we used to get through it, what they planned for us almost every night. Now, the first thing we do is have a look at what work is up to its time limit and has to be done, so the plane can fly the next day." Qantas categorically rejects claims that its aircraft maintenance engineers are overworked or that there is a risk to safety.<br/>