Baggage handlers and ramp workers are set to walk off the job again on Thursday as a bitter dispute over pay and safety concerns drags on.
Transport Workers’ Union national secretary Michael Kaine accuses budget airline Jetstar of “shutting down” negotiations in late November and ignoring workers’ communications since.
The company should return to the negotiating table in a bid to avoid further strike action by workers demanding a “minuscule” extra 90 cents an hour, the union boss says.
“We are appealing again today. Jetstar needs to come to the table,” Mr Kaine told reporters at Sydney Airport on Wednesday.
“It’s Jetstar that is putting the Australian public out here, not the workers.”
Ahead of a strike last Friday the airline said it had minimised disruption by cancelling 30 services in advance.
This week the company said cutting its January flight schedules by about 10 per cent will reduce disruption to passengers who will be able to reschedule flights or get refunds.
The union wants more rest breaks, a guaranteed 12-hour break between shifts, guaranteed 30 hours a week and annual wage increases of four per cent.
The pay rise – which Mr Kaine said amounted to less than an extra dollar an hour – was “minuscule” when compared to Jetstar’s profits.
Jetstar says it’s offering staff a three per cent pay rise.
Mr Kaine said the union has a “litany” of information about workers who have back pain, crushed knees and shoulder injuries due to the “sheer intensity of the work”.
“These workers are asking for nothing more than a safe work environment and a modest claim to meet the needs of their families,” he said.
In addition to the TWU strike the Australian Federation of Air Pilots began industrial action on Friday and continued over the weekend.
Jetstar says the industrial action into January combined with the December action is costing the company about $20 million to $25 million.
-with AAP
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