Security staff are planning to strike on Friday and next Monday at multiple airports around Australia, likely throwing them into mild chaos ahead of Christmas.
Per Nine News, workers will walk off the job at Canberra airport on Friday. Brisbane and Gold Coast airports will see the same strike action the following Monday, which will probably cause a bit of a headache for people trying to duck home before Christmas.
The airport strikes are part of an ongoing pay dispute between the contracted airport security company ISS and the United Workers’ Union, which has called for a 10 to 15 per cent pay rise for airport security staff.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported the planned strike at Brisbane airport next week will stretch for four hours in the morning. A spokesperson said the industrial action covers the airport’s busiest part of the day on the last Monday before Christmas.
“The date of the industrial action is in the middle of the holiday rush, and the time chosen covers the peak period of the day when we are at our busiest,” they said.
“Tens of thousands of families and everyday hard-working Australians will have their travel plans potentially thrown into chaos if this industrial action takes place.
“I am concerned for those families who will not be able to afford or have the time to make last-minute changes to their travel plans.”
So if you’re headed to the airport over the next couple of weeks during the end-of-year rush, definitely make sure you’re arriving with heaps of time to spare, just to be safe. Also, keep an eye on your airline for any important updates to your planned travels.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably getting there at least an hour before domestic flights and three hours before international trips anyway — but be wary that things may take a little longer given the circumstances.
