Australia: Unionized Qantas engineers plan rolling strike at airports in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney through mid-October /update 2

Over 1,000 unionized engineers employed by Qantas Airways (QF) are set to strike at airports across Australia 07:00-09:00 Sept. 30. The latest work stoppage follows a walkout at MEL Sept. 26; union leaders are threatening rolling strikes through mid-October at major airports nationwide if worker demands for increased salaries are not met. Organizers could suspend further industrial actions if labor and management reach an agreement in negotiations.

Unless averted, flight disruptions could affect thousands of travelers at Adelaide (ADL), Brisbane (BNE), Canberra (CBR), Melbourne (MEL), Perth (PER) and Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) airports. Airport and airline officials will likely implement contingency plans to minimize the impact on operations and flights; nevertheless, some Qantas flight disruptions are likely. Demonstrations or pickets and heightened security are likely; possible protest sites include airports affected by the strike. Lingering disruptions are possible for several hours after the work stoppages end as staff clear passenger backlogs.