Qantas Ground Worker Strike Confirmed: 650 Workers Walk Off September 23-24 With a 97.7% Yes Vote — QantasLink Sydney and Qantas Freight Hit Right as School Holidays Begin — What Every Affected Family Needs to Know

The timing isn’t an accident, and the union isn’t hiding that fact.

Around 650 Qantas Ground Services and Australian Air Express workers will strike for 24 hours this week — Victoria on Wednesday, September 23, and the rest of the country on Thursday, September 24 — after a Transport Workers Union ballot returned an overwhelming result: 344 votes in favor against just 8 opposed, a 97.7% yes result across ten proposed protected actions. The action lands directly as Queensland, Victoria, and the Northern Territory enter their September school holidays, a scheduling choice TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine has been explicit about, framing the dispute as a fight against what he calls “corporate greed on steroids.”

The good news for most travelers: Qantas mainline domestic and international flights are entirely unaffected, as are QantasLink services at every airport except Sydney. The workers involved are primarily employed in Qantas Freight, with a smaller group supporting QantasLink ground operations specifically at Sydney Airport. Qantas has stated it has developed contingency plans to minimize disruption to QantasLink customers, though the airline has not detailed exactly what those plans involve or confirmed how many of the eligible workers will actually participate.

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Published: September 22, 2026 — Tuesday
Strike dates: Wednesday, September 23 (Victoria) and Thursday, September 24 (rest of Australia)
Strike duration: 24 hours each day
Workers involved: Approximately 650 across Qantas Ground Services (QGS) and Australian Air Express (AAE)
Ballot result: 344 yes, 8 no — 97.7% in favor (Fair Work Commission ballot B2026/959)
Total eligible voters: 352 of QGS’s roughly 650 total workforce (400 are TWU members)
Services affected: Qantas Freight (including Australia Post shipments) + QantasLink at Sydney Airport only
NOT affected: Qantas mainline domestic and international flights; QantasLink services at any airport other than Sydney
School holiday overlap: Queensland, Victoria, and Northern Territory all enter school holidays this week
Core dispute: Pay (following years of wage freezes), job security, and workplace safety
Broader context: TWU alleges a “fragmented employment structure” splitting related work across different Qantas subsidiaries and labour-hire companies
Tragic backdrop: A labour-hire worker was killed at a Qantas Freight workplace last year; TWU has issued 14 provisional improvement notices over alleged safety failings in NSW
Financial context cited by TWU: Qantas reported underlying pre-tax profit exceeding AUD $2 billion in its most recent results
Historical precedent: In December 2024, Qantas and TWU reached a $120 million settlement over the airline’s 2020 outsourcing of 1,800 ground handling jobs, which the High Court found unlawful
Fair Work Commission: A further meeting was scheduled for Friday, September 18, with Qantas committed to presenting a more detailed proposal
Australian Air Express: A separate protected-action ballot involving 100+ AAE workers began around September 15

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Why the School Holiday Timing Matters — and Why the Union Isn’t Apologizing For It

Industrial action timed to coincide with peak travel periods is one of the oldest tactics in labour disputes, precisely because it maximizes pressure on the employer while minimizing the number of strike days actually needed. TWU’s Michael Kaine has framed this dispute in unusually pointed terms, describing it as a continuation of tactics used by Qantas’s previous leadership and directly invoking the airline’s troubled recent history: the 2020 outsourcing of 1,800 ground workers, later found unlawful by Australia’s High Court, and the $120 million settlement that followed in December 2024.

That history matters for understanding why this dispute has generated such an overwhelming ballot result. The workers voting 97.7% in favor are, by TWU’s account, the remaining Qantas ground workforce after the earlier mass outsourcing — meaning many of today’s participants either witnessed or were directly affected by that earlier dispute, and see this action as protecting against a repeat of the same fragmentation pattern now being applied to the workers who remained.

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What Actually Gets Disrupted — and What Doesn’t

This is a narrower strike than headlines might suggest, and it’s worth being precise about scope. The employees involved work for two Qantas subsidiaries — Qantas Ground Services and Australian Air Express — and the vast majority are employed in Qantas Freight operations, with only a smaller proportion supporting QantasLink flights, and only at Sydney Airport specifically. Qantas mainline domestic flights, Qantas international flights, and QantasLink services at every other airport in the country continue operating normally throughout both strike days.

What this means in practice:

• If you’re flying Qantas mainline (domestic or international) anywhere in Australia: Your flight is not affected by this action.
• If you’re flying QantasLink from any airport other than Sydney: Your flight is not affected by this action.
• If you’re flying QantasLink specifically through Sydney Airport on September 23 or 24: Your flight could be affected, subject to Qantas’s contingency plans, which the airline says are designed to minimize disruption but hasn’t detailed publicly.
• If you’re shipping anything via Qantas Freight, including Australia Post parcels, during either strike day: Expect delays. TWU has explicitly flagged freight, including Australia Post shipments, as an area likely to see disruption.

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The Underlying Dispute: Pay, Fragmentation, and Safety

Beyond the headline numbers, TWU’s grievances center on three connected issues. First, pay: the union says QGS workers have faced years of wage freezes and are seeking a pay rise, pointing to Qantas’s recent AUD $2 billion-plus underlying pre-tax profit as evidence the airline can afford improved conditions. Second, job security and what the union calls a “fragmented employment structure” — staff performing closely related work split across QGS, Australian Air Express, and other labour-hire arrangements, which TWU argues has been used to suppress pay and conditions relative to what a more unified workforce could negotiate. Third, safety: TWU health and safety representatives in New South Wales have issued 14 provisional improvement notices against Qantas over alleged safety failings at Qantas Freight, a concern sharpened by the death of a labour-hire worker at a Qantas Freight workplace last year — an incident TWU has referenced directly in its public statements about this dispute.

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What Happens Next

Both parties are continuing negotiations through the Fair Work Commission, with a further meeting held Friday, September 18, at which Qantas committed to presenting a more detailed proposal. Qantas has publicly stated it remains “committed to reaching an agreement with our Qantas Ground Services employees that includes annual pay rises for our people,” and has characterized recent discussions through the Fair Work Commission as constructive. Whether this week’s strikes proceed as planned, are resolved through last-minute negotiation, or represent the opening round of a longer dispute (the ballot covered ten different possible protected actions, not just these two strike days) remains to be seen.

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What Affected Families Should Do This Week

✅ If you have a QantasLink booking through Sydney Airport on September 23 or 24, check your booking status directly with Qantas in the coming days — don’t wait until the day of travel
✅ If you’re sending anything via Qantas Freight or expecting an Australia Post delivery that may route through Qantas Freight, build in extra time for both strike days
✅ If your travel is on Qantas mainline or QantasLink from any airport other than Sydney, proceed with your existing plans — this action does not affect those services
✅ Monitor Qantas’s official channels for contingency plan details as the strike dates approach, since the airline has indicated specific mitigation measures without yet detailing them publicly

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Contacts

Fair Work Commission: fwc.gov.au

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Posted By : Vinay

As a lead contributor for Travel Tourister, Vinay is dedicated to serving our Tier 1 audience (US, UK, Canada, Australia). His mission is to deliver precise, fact-checked news and actionable, data-driven articles that empower readers to make informed decisions, minimize travel risks, and maximize their adventure without compromising safety or budget.