Welp, Jetstar Staff Have Voted To Strike, So Merry Christmas To All & To All A Good Flight

Right on the cusp of easily the busiest travel period of the year, Jetstar is set to experience turmoil after ground crews and baggage handlers voted almost unanimously in favour of taking strike action that’s likely to extend beyond Christmas and well into the New Year.

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The vote for industrial action was passed with a 94% approval rate, with strike action to cover some 250 staff across Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon, Brisbane, Cairns, and Adelaide airports over the coming weeks.

At the core of the dispute between workers and management are demands for 30 guaranteed hours of work per week and a subsequent pay rise. All demands put to Jetstar management were reportedly rejected, leading to today’s vote to strike.

In a statement issued this morning, the Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine asserted that “Jetstar forces its workers on to part-time hours, some are guaranteed no more than 20 hours a week. The rates are low and families are struggling. Jetstar workers took a pay freeze in recent years and they expected the company treat them fairly now they are earning bumper profits. Disappointingly Jetstar have rejected the vast majority of the workers’ demands outright.”

In response, Jetstar officials issued a statement of their own, claiming “We are surprised the Transport Workers Union pursued a protected action ballot given they only provided their full list of claims two weeks before applying to take this step.”

They also claimed that any impact to passengers would be minimal due to “strong contingency plans” that are in place.

Jetstar workers and the TWU have no set a timeline for any potential strike action at this stage.

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