Qantas refuellers to strike in Melbourne on Wednesday

Qantas is facing another threat of strike action on Wednesday after refuellers based at Melbourne Airport signalled their intention to stop working for 24 hours. The airline, however, said it was putting in place “contingencies” to minimise the disruption to passengers, while the airport added it remained in talks with workers from third-party supplier Rivet. It follows Qantas cabin crew voting almost unanimously in favour of strike action after claiming they were being asked to work longer shifts and have shorter rest times. The new strike this week by Rivet, which begins at 4 am, will predominately affect Qantas, which accounts for 60% of its work. The TWU, which is representing the workers, said it had been locked in negotiations for 12 months and argued staff were facing increased workloads and responsibilities but without better pay and conditions to match. The union’s local assistant branch secretary, Mem Suleyman, said, “For a year, Rivet refuellers have tried to reach a fair agreement but have instead been faced with base wage freezes which impact their pay now and long into the future. In the current cost-of-living crisis, it is unacceptable to expect workers to pick up extra responsibilities and work harder, faster and longer to make ends meet."<br/>