To achieve better pay and working conditions, workers at Melbourne Airport who refuel Qantas planes plan to strike for a full day later this week. The strike is expected to affect some cargo, domestic, and international flights out of the airport.

The workers are employed by Rivet, a company that provides specialist technical labor and services for aircraft refueling. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) reportedly said it is fighting for a pay increase and improved conditions for the workers.

A possible impact to flights

The TWU said Rivet workers refueling planes for Qantas international, domestic, and QantasLink at Melbourne airport had notified the company of a 24-hour strike on Wednesday if a fair solution is not provided to the increase of workloads and responsibilities without pay and conditions keeping pace.

From 04:00 on Wednesday to 04:00 on Thursday, the strike is expected to affect Qantas flights out of the airport, freight companies Australia Air Express and DHL, and some international carriers.

Qantas A380 tail with grond support equipment
Photo: Ceri Breeze/Shutterstock

Qantas is the major airline client of Rivet, accounting for roughly 60% of Rivet's refueling work, according to the TWU. Despite the carrier reporting a successful half-year profit in the billions, the refueling workers have yet to receive a pay bump for nearly three years.

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Demanding change

Mem Suleyman, the TWU's Assistant Branch Secretary, said Rivet should act responsibly and respond to workers' reasonable requests for recognition and solutions to high work volumes to avoid disruption to flights out of Melbourne Airport this week.

“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. 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 fair agreement.”

Qantas Boeing 737
Photo: John Mackintosh/Shutterstock

Suleyman also shared that the refueling workers are overworked while Qantas celebrates its half-year profit.

"Aviation was decimated throughout the pandemic, but Alan Joyce is now gloating about a $1 billion half-year profit while overworked aviation workers getting Qantas planes refueled and into the air are struggling under the pressure," the secretary said. "Rebuilding the aviation industry is going to require more investment in good, secure jobs, not executive bonuses or shareholder dividends at an airline wielding huge commercial power across our airports. That's why we need a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to rebalance our airports, make decisions in the public interest and stabilise the industry."

Qantas' response

Despite comments from the TWU, Qantas said there have been no changes to its 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," a spokesperson for the airline said to 9News.com.au.

Melbourne Airport is reportedly in talks with Rivet and notified its airline customers to understand the potential impact planned industrial action may have on operations.

Sources: The TWU, 9News.com.au