Airport strikes to resume as moratorium lifted

Airport strikes will resume after public servants ended a moratorium on action imposed after the Brussels attacks.

Airport strikes will resume today after public servants ended a moratorium on industrial action imposed because of security fears following the terrorist bombings in Brussels.

Malcolm Turnbull’s call for the Commonwealth Public Sector Union to hold off on strikes planned for last Thursday averted chaos ahead of the Easter long weekend, but the CPSU said yesterday that Immigration, Border Force and Department of Agriculture officials would stop work this week.

Strikes will begin at midnight, will run at airports in every state until Thursday, April 7, and will include eight-hour stoppages from 4pm. “Strict national-security exemptions” would remain in place “as they have throughout the union’s long campaign to protect rights, conditions and take-home pay”, the union said.

“Passengers may experience some delays when departing or arriving on international flights as a result of the rolling strikes.”

CPSU national secretary ­Nadine Flood said: “We agreed to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s request ... to postpone (Thursday’s) strikes in good faith, and conscious of the understandable concern of travellers on one of the busiest days of the year at airports in the wake of the awful events in Brussels. Our members ... will now resume their industrial action, knowing that their campaign never has and never will compromise Australia’s national security.”

ELIZABETH COLMAN