Aviation firefighters to take industrial action over Easter holidays

Thousands of holiday goers could be thrown into chaos at Australian airports over the Easter school holidays as aviation fire fighters threaten to refuse to work overtime. What it means for you.

Adelaide airport is already getting busy on the first day of the Easter holidays. Picture: Dean Martin

Thousands of holiday goers could be thrown into chaos over the Easter break as aviation fire fighters threaten to refuse to work overtime.

It comes after numerous failed negotiations between their employer Airservices Australia and the United Firefighters Union of Australia Aviation Branch following the expiry of the enterprise agreement in 2022.

There were fears aviation firefighters could walk off the job completely over the two weeks of Easter school holidays.

But UFUAV secretary Wes Garrett said industrial action would be restricted to refusing to accept ad hoc partial shift overtime or time off in lieu instead of getting paid over time.

“This is a restrained, considerate and proportionate action that will require Airservices Australia management to pay greater attention to rostering practices that manage fatigue and maintain safe staffing levels,” Mr Garrett said.

“We recognise that industrial action at any time in aviation is disruptive.

“Sadly it is necessary to bring Airservices Australia to the table.”

UFUAV secretary Wes Garrett said firefighters were exhausted and tired of working overtime for poor returns amid staffing shortages.

An Airservices spokesman said the industrial action intended to commence on April 5 could affect numerous Australian airport operations over the holidays.

“Over five months of negotiations, Airservices has offered Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service crews an 11.2 per cent pay rise over three years, with no changes in conditions,” the spokesman said.

“However the UFUAV is demanding a 20 per cent pay rise as part of a range of claims that in total would cost the aviation industry and their passengers an additional $128m.”

“In line with recommendations from the Fair Work Commission, Airservices is seeking to hold further meetings with the union to seek a resolution to the dispute without the looming threat of industrial action.”

Thousands of people travelling by plane over the Easter school holiday break could be affected by industrial action as firefighters push for better working conditions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Mr Garrett said the union had forwarded 26 claims to Airservices on behalf of its exhausted firefighter members with 25 related to minimum safe staffing standards and fatigue management and one related to pay.

And in a joint statement with Australian Federal Police Association president Alex Caruana, Mr Garrett said employment agreements must recognise it was firefighters and not “mandarins behind desks” who willingly ran “into burning aircraft to save life and minimise injury”.

Airservices Australia's chief executive officer Jason Harfield said the industrial action by aviation firefighters had nothing to do with pay.

Airservices Australia chief executive officer Jason Harfield said it was “disappointing” the UFUAV was risking the safety of “thousands” of Australians over the Easter break in pursuit of a pay rise.

“This disruptive campaign has nothing to do with staffing levels, which are monitored and regulated by CASA as the aviation safety regulator,” Mr Harfield said.

The Airservices’ spokesman said the union had also threatened to delay or put a “go-slow” on response times to emergency situations involving the travelling public which safety regulations stipulated had to be responded to within three minutes.

Mr Garrett said union members had unanimously voted to take further industrial action if an agreement could not be met with Airservices Australia and if this occurred, airlines would get the minimal seven days notice.

Also going down the industrial action route are air traffic controllers after 14 meetings with Airservices failed to address their concerns.