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Ground handlers at dnata have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action after twice rejecting a pay deal.
The Transport Workers’ Union said 98 per cent of workers supported the protected industrial action ballot, which was filed at the end of October, after knocking back the same proposed agreement from dnata twice by margins of 92 per cent and 94 per cent respectively.
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The union has previously accused the UAE-based airport services provider, whose customers include Qantas, Emirates, Etihad and Singapore Airlines, of “refusing decent improvements on rostering, job security and pay”.
“Dnata ground workers are, like many in aviation, struggling to stay in this industry under the current pay rates and conditions,” TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said.
“These workers should not be forced again into taking strike action for decent pay and conditions that will allow them to stay in the industry – dnata and its clients like Qantas should provide safe and secure jobs.
“Dnata must come back to the table with a fair offer so that low-paid workers and travellers avoid unnecessary disruption over the busy Christmas period.”
The TWU has again used the industrial action ballot to call attention to outsourcing within the aviation industry and push for an independent body to regulate the sector, which was found to have 74 per cent public support in an October poll.
“Ground handling is a highly-skilled job, but thousands of experienced workers have been forced out of the industry by Qantas’ illegal outsourcing, and those who are left are under-staffed, with low wages and insecure jobs. Across the Qantas supply chain workers are now standing up for better pay and conditions,” Kaine said.
“We’re going to continue seeing a revolving door in aviation and falling standards for passengers until this industry is rebalanced. That will take a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to ensure profit-obsessed executives aren’t calling the shots.”
In a statement, dnata said it is “extremely disappointed that the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) rejected [its] highly competitive offer”, which offered the “highest average earnings in the Australian ground handling industry”.
“Our offer includes a five per cent salary increase in the first year, which is significantly higher than both the current Consumer Price Index (CPI, 2.8 per cent) and the wage price index (WPI, 3.5 per cent),” a spokesperson said.
“Additionally, dnata has offered a further one per cent increase in benefits and a further four per cent salary increase for the following year. The proposal also includes improvements in rostering provisions.
“Should an industrial action go ahead, our robust contingency plans will help us minimise any impact on our operations.
“We continue to directly engage with our employees to discuss with them the position of our business and the value of our proposal. We are hopeful that even if industrial action is pursued by the union, it will not be strongly supported by our employees.”
Ground handlers at dnata had previously threatened strike action in 2022, only to call it off after being given a 12.6 per cent pay rise.
