Sydney, Australia: Hundreds of Qantas ground workers will stage 24-hour strikes across Australia on 23 and 24 September 2026 over pay, job security and working conditions, the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) announced on 18 September 2026.
The industrial action will begin in Victoria on Wednesday, 23 September, while workers in the rest of Australia will strike on Thursday, 24 September. The workers are involved mainly in Qantas Freight, with a smaller group supporting QantasLink services at Sydney Airport. They do not handle Qantas mainline domestic or international services, or QantasLink operations at other airports.
The TWU said the workers are the remaining Qantas ground workforce after more than 1,800 ground workers were outsourced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The union said Qantas has divided its workforce between subsidiaries including Qantas Ground Services (QGS) and Australian air Express (AaE), creating disputes over pay, employment security and working conditions.
The union said the two subsidiaries had frustrated attempts to bring pay and job security into line with industry standards and to consolidate the work groups under the same Qantas structure. The TWU also said its members were taking action over concerns about safety and the increasing use of casual and insecure employment.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said: “Old habits die hard and the same despicable Alan Joyce tactic of splintering the Qantas workforce has been dusted off by the new bosses who want to suppress wages and smash conditions. This is corporate greed on steroids and it comes at the expense of quality service for customers, and safe, reliable jobs for the workforce.”
Kaine also said: “Qantas will tell you that it has changed, but workers and passengers know better: this is an industry in crisis. In Sydney planes are almost colliding, critical services are horrendously understaffed, and workers are being killed and injured.” The statement reflects the TWU’s position and allegations, rather than an independent finding.
The union linked the strike to the death of a Qantas Freight worker on Father’s Day in 2025. Kaine said: “This action comes just over a year after a Qantas Freight worker was tragically killed on Father’s Day, with Qantas taking no concrete steps to fix a revolving door of casual, insecure work which has led to shocking safety failures.” Qantas disputes the union’s claims that safety incidents have increased since ground handling moved to Swissport more than five years ago.
Kaine said workers were not taking the action lightly, adding: “Any disruption to freight, including Australia Post shipments, sits solely at the feet of Qantas management and its brutal disregard for customers and the workforce.”
He said: “These workers have been left with no alternative. Right across the Qantas supply chain, workers are being injured or killed by just doing their jobs. They want to see a return to when working for the flying kangaroo was something to be proud of.”
The planned stoppages follow months of negotiations between Qantas and the union. The parties had been negotiating for about 11 months and remained deadlocked during discussions at the Fair Work Commission.
The TWU had earlier reported that 97% of 350 workers who voted supported industrial action. The Fair Work Commission lists a protected-action ballot involving the TWU and Qantas Ground Services on 27 August 2026, followed by a ballot involving the TWU and Australian Air Express on 15 September 2026.
Qantas said it had developed contingency plans to minimise the effect of the planned action on QantasLink customers and operations. The airline said: “We remain committed to reaching an agreement with our Qantas Ground Services employees that includes annual pay rises for our people.”
Qantas also said: “Discussions through the Fair Work Commission have been constructive and negotiations are continuing. Our focus is on an agreement that addresses what employees have told us matters most, including pay and more full-time opportunities.”
The dispute follows Qantas’ outsourcing of more than 1,800 ground-worker positions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outsourcing was later found unlawful, and a court ordered Qantas to pay a A$90 million penalty in 2025.
The planned industrial action could therefore affect Qantas Freight operations and some QantasLink regional services from Sydney during the September school-holiday period, while Qantas says contingency arrangements are being put in place to limit disruption.
