Transport Workers Union has told refuelling company Rivet that its members plan to strike on Wednesday over a pay dispute

Workers responsible for refuelling planes are set to walk off the job for 24 hours in their fight for a new pay deal.

Qantas passengers at Melbourne Airport are facing travel chaos on Wednesday as a large group of workers responsible for refuelling planes walk off the job for 24 hours.

The Transport Workers Union has told refuelling company Rivet that its members plan to strike from 4am Wednesday over a protracted pay dispute.

The company’s major client is Qantas and the move is expected to spark serious disruptions for travellers as the airline scrambles to find staff to refuel flights out of Melbourne.

It is expected the 24-hour strike, lodged with the Fair Work Commission, will impact domestic and international flights with Qantas, QLink and freight carriers such as DHL.

Qantas travellers are set to face major disruptions because of the strike. Picture: Ian Currie

The TWU have been bargaining over a new pay deal for Rivet staff for 12 months and negotiations have centred on managing increased workloads, attracting new staff and demands for higher pay.

The union says the strike will go ahead unless the company comes back to the table over what they believe is a fair solution to these ongoing problems.

TWU assistant branch secretary Mem Suleyman called on Rivet to respond to their requests to avoid disruptions to flights leaving Melbourne.

“For a year, Rivet refuellers have tried to reach a fair agreement but have instead been faced with base wage freezes which impact their pay now and long into the future. In the current cost-of-living crisis it is unacceptable to expect workers to pick up extra responsibilities and work harder, faster and longer to make ends meet,” he said.

The union says Rivet refuellers have tried to reach a fair agreement. Picture: David Crosling

“These are workers in one of the most dangerous jobs in the airport, yet they are being pushed to the limit while pay and conditions fail to attract more workers to share the load.

“Although protected industrial action is always a last resort, these workers know it is the only option left to bring the company to a sustainable and fair agreement.

“Aviation was decimated throughout the pandemic, but (Qantas chief executive) Alan Joyce is now gloating about a $1 billion half-year profit while overworked aviation workers getting planes refuelled and into the air are struggling.”

Passenger numbers at Melbourne Airport are surging as the nation recovers from the impact of Covid, with the airport reporting in January reporting its highest numbers in three years.

The recovery of domestic travel has been boosted by a growing number of international airlines returning to Australia.

But skills shortages have affected the industry’s recovery along with issues building back capacity after years of travel restrictions.

Mr Suleyman said more investment in secure jobs was needed to rebuild the aviation industry, and called for an independent tribunal to oversee standards.

“We need a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to rebalance our airports and stabilise the industry,” he said.

A Qantas spokeswoman said there had been no changes to flights out of Melbourne on Wednesday.

“Once we have more details from Rivet about the impact of the planned strike by their workers we can put in place contingencies such as carrying additional fuel from other airports to minimise impacts to our customers,” she said.