Qantas engineers are highly skilled professionals — they make sure your plane is safe to fly. But these workers are being undervalued, underpaid, and disrespected.
Hundreds of Qantas engineers have voted overwhelmingly to escalate their industrial action, following Qantas management’s decision to withdraw its latest pay offer.
Over 80% of union members supported further action, in a dispute that has now dragged on since April 2024 without resolution.
It is shameful that Qantas workers still have to fight to have their skills recognised and valued. Qantas should do the right thing and pay these workers what they deserve.
Members of the Qantas Engineers Alliance (an alliance of the ETU, AMWU and AWU) took action again this month – participating in rolling work bans in the fight for fair pay. Workers imposed bans around 20 key duties critical to the airline’s operations, including towing of aircraft, de-icing operations, and forklift use.
This marks the third round of protected industrial action by engineers since negotiations broke down last year. Engineers previously took stoppages in September and December 2024. The latest round of negotiations saw Qantas offer a 17% increase over four years, an offer union members rejected as insufficient following a decade that saw just 12% total wage growth and included three years of wage freezes.
“It’s time for Qantas to come to the table and do the right thing. These workers are taking action because Qantas will not agree to a fair pay deal.
It’s outrageous that highly skilled workers have had to take on this fight for as long as they have. It was these engineers that kept Qantas running during COVID and Qantas only has the safety record it has because of the dedication from this workforce. Members will keep up the fight until they win what they deserve.” – ETU National Secretary, Michael Wright.
After three years of pay freezes and a decade of wages going backwards, these workers deserve a decent pay increase.
Solidarity with Qantas Engineers across Australia in their fight for fair pay!