6 News understands airport ground workers nationwide will take 24-hour strike action on Wednesday the 11th of December.
Ground handlers at Dubai National Air Travel Agency (Dnata), which provides aircraft ground handling worldwide, have voted 'overwhelmingly' in favour of strike action after twice rejecting a pay deal and ongoing troubles with EBA negotiations, despite the company claiming "Throughout the negotiations, we have repeatedly sought genuine dialogue."
Airlines including Emirates, Qantas International, Etihad, Cathay, Singapore Airlines, Korean Airlines, Latam, China Southern, China Eastern, Air China, Scoot, and international and domestic freighter services all outsource some Australian ground operations to Dnata, however, the company says "robust contingency plans" are in place.
94% of ramp staff voted against the latest pay proposal, with 98% of union members voting for strike action to occur.
In a statement to 6 News Dnata said, "Our pay offer was designed to provide our valued employees with salary increases which ease the cost-of-living pressures and recognise their dedication and contributions to our company. Our proposal offers the highest average earnings in the Australian ground-handling industry.
Our offer includes a 5% salary increase in the first year, which is significantly higher than both the current Consumer Price Index (CPI, 2.8%) and the wage price index (WPI, 3.5%). Additionally, dnata has offered a further 1% increase in benefits and a further 4% salary increase for the following year. The proposal also includes improvements in rostering provisions."
Adding, "Our commitment remains firm: to achieve an agreement that fairly supports our employees, while safeguarding the long-term success and sustainability of our organisation."
Qantas has not responded to our request for comment.
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