Travel is resuming through Sydney Airport. Photo / Grant Bradley
Travel is resuming through Sydney Airport. Photo / Grant Bradley
Thousands of airport firefighters across the country will take strike action to protest staff shortages, leaving passenger safety to be compromised.
United Firefighters Union of Australia aviation secretary Wes Garrett said all firefighters would go on strike from 6 am to 10 am on Friday, December 9.
“We expect there won’t be an aircraft moving during those four hours,” he said.
The strike comes as discussions between Airservices Australia and the union have failed after 100 firefighters were cut during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This has had a significant impact on our firefighters’ ability to provide services around the country,” Garrett said.
“Each and every day there are 2500 passengers who are boarding aircraft around the country without the proper aviation firefighting coverage.”
UFU Aviation secretary Wes Garrett says passengers across the country will be impacted because of strike action planned for December 9.
Garrett said the staffing dispute had been “a longstanding issue”, and despite claims from Airservices that there was no impact to safety, firefighters had decided to strike.
“That is why for aviation firefighters there is no option other than to escalate our industrial action,” he said.
UFU Aviation secretary Wes Garrett says passengers across the country will be impacted because of strike action planned for December 9. Photo / news.com.au
“We’re calling on the federal government to help us resolve these issues with Airservices and we are hopeful we will be able to resolve these issues.”
But an Airservices Australia spokesman said it was disappointing to learn union members were going to strike.
“Airservices continues to negotiate in good faith with the UFUAV to finalise a new enterprise agreement (EA) and in line with the public sector interim workplace arrangements,” he said.
“The union’s claims regarding safety issues are highly misleading.
“There is no shortage of aviation rescue firefighters in Airservices’ Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service at Sydney or at any other location.
“The UFUAV should abandon its strike threat and return to the bargaining table to resolve the EBA in the interests of all Australian aviation industry stakeholders and the safety of the travelling public.”
Sub station officer Jason Cocchietto, who is based at Sydney airport fire station, said before the pandemic his team was fully staffed with 17 firefighters but now that had been reduced to 14 crew.
He said there were “multiple people doing overtime” and it worried him that if an emergency happened he might not be equipped to do his job properly because of a lack of support.
“If something happens and I couldn’t save someone, that’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life,” he said.
However, the Airservices Australia spokesman said those claims were “not supported by the facts”, stating only 14 crew were required at major airports.
“Overall, the network requires 740 ARFFS and there are more than 750 on staff at present and nearly 100 trainees entering the system over the next two years,” the spokesman said.
Former fire commander Trevor Rogers said the work stoppage was not a “flippant decision”.
“Due to the reduced amount of staff we now have, the risk to the flying public has been compromised,” he said.
Rogers said after working in the industry for 38 years, the lack of staff compromised those on shift from doing their job “as required”.
Aviation Firefighters are worried about understaffing after 100 crew were cut during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo / Supplied
He said “there’s every chance” understaffing could lead to passengers not getting rescued appropriately or safely during an emergency at any airport across the country.
But the Airservices Australia spokesman said safety was the No.1 priority across all airports, including the 27 sites serviced by aviation rescue firefighting services.
“We continue to meet all service requirements nationally to ensure the safety of airlines, airports and the travelling public,” he said.
“Airservices will continue to work with industry and safety agencies to minimise disruptions to flights as a result of the industrial action.”
Massive delays at airports across the country are expected as aviation firefighters plan to strike for four hours on December 9.
It comes as Qantas domestic flight crews voted to hold a strike leading up to Christmas. Nearly all of the 1200 cabin crew employees voted in favour of the protected industrial action last week as they demand better pay and better working conditions.
All of the Qantas domestic flight crews will walk off the job for 24 hours some time in the coming month, which could cause travel chaos over the busy holiday season.
Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) vice-president Angela McManus said the action was a “last resort” after ongoing negotiations with Qantas stalled.
A Qantas spokesperson said the company had proposed 3 per cent annual pay rises and access to more than AU$7000 in bonuses for flight crew staff.
“This is a very disappointing step by FAAA given we’re continuing to negotiate towards a new agreement,” the spokesperson said.
“They’ve said they’ll minimise the impact to customers of any industrial action and we’re urging them to stick to their word.”
FAAA federal secretary Teri O’Toole said the proposed bonuses amounted to AU$11 a day over seven years for workers.
“All we are asking for is a fair deal and we are hoping that Qantas care enough about customers to bring to the table a fair and reasonable deal,” she said.
“I can tell you our flight attendants do not want people to be disrupted at Christmas.”
Qantas said the proposed shift changes were in line with the national standard for domestic airlines and overtime of up to 300 per cent would be paid for staff working more than their rostered hours.
The airline’s proposed agreement would extend shifts from 9.5 hours to 12 hours and reduce rest periods to 10 hours, which the union worries could increase fatigue.
“We want to keep doing the job we love, but we want to do it safely and so we’re not fatigued,” Ms McManus said.
The union will have four weeks to action their first strike, but it has not yet allocated a date.
The vote to strike comes after Qantas raised its profit forecast to AU$1.45bn for the first half of next year.
