Avalon Airport travellers set to be hit by Jetstar strike action

Holiday-makers travelling through Avalon Airport are facing the prospect of headaches after Jetstar staff voted to strike in the weeks leading up to Christmas and beyond.

JETSTAR pilots, ground crews and baggage handlers across Australia have voted to strike in the weeks leading up to Christmas and beyond in action that will impact Avalon Airport services.

But the pilot union whose members have voted to strike say the industrial action will not take place over the Christmas-New Year period.

Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) executive director Simon Lutton said action may include overtime bans, not following standard fuel-saving procedures and 24-hour work bans.

“The decision to embark on protected industrial action has not been made lightly,” Mr Lutton said in a statement.

“We are hoping to resume discussions with the company to reach an agreement so that no further action needs to be taken after this period.”

Jetstar operates about 100 flights per week between Avalon and Sydney, Adelaide and the Gold Coast.

On Friday more than 90 per cent of Jetstar pilots who are AFAP members voted to take industrial action.

Jetstar staff are planning industrial action that is set to affect services at Avalon Airport.

The union claims its members represent about 80 per cent of the more than 800 commercial pilots employed by Jetstar in Australia.

The decision was taken after the airline rejected their demands for better employment conditions, the AFAP say.

Ninety-four per cent of Jetstar’s ground crew and baggage handlers who are members of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) voted on Friday to strike.

Demands from ground crews and baggage handlers include guaranteeing 30 hours of work per week and wage increases which the TWU said are currently among the lowest rates in the industry.

Jetstar Group CEO Gareth Evans said it was “deeply disappointing” that the AFAP would threaten to disrupt holiday plans for tens of thousands of Australians.

He said the union demands of a 15 per cent pay increase in the first year would “put significant pressure” on fares for the low cost airline.

Mr Evans said the three per cent annual pay increase offered by Jetstar for captains was “40 per cent above Australia’s annual wage growth”.

He said Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas, was committed to reaching a new agreement but not at any cost.

“Strong arm tactics from the AFAP will not change our position on this,” Mr Evans said in a statement.

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The union said Jetstar cancelled a meeting last Friday, as well as the next one scheduled yesterday but Jetstar categorically denied the claims.

Mr Simon Lutton said earlier this week Jetstar pilots want to be valued fairly in line with their peers at other airlines.

“The AFAP has been genuinely negotiating for nearly 12 months but the company remains unwilling to shift on any of the pilot’s pay and conditions such as rostering.”

Originally published as Avalon Airport travellers set to be hit by Jetstar strike action