Hundreds of Qantas engineers have walked out at Melbourne Airport amid a long running wage dispute.
The maintenance workers are on a 24-hour strike that could lead to flight delays or cancellations.
Engineers at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport staged the walkout from 9am, while more engineers are striking at Brisbane.
The snap strike comes after weeks of fruitless talks between the airline and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the Electrical Trades Union and Australian Workers Union.
The unions are seeking an initial 15% pay rise and 5% per year thereafter.
They say they have had no increase for nearly four years.
“When times were tough, our members accepted years of wage freezes,” AWU National Secretary Paul Farrow said.
“Now that the profits are flowing, it’s time for Qantas to come to the table with a decent offer.”
Stoppages began in late September when more than 1,000 engineers began strike action at multiple airports.
Pay talks have been going on for nearly six months.
“Every time there is a problem at Qantas, the executives ignore it and just hope that it will go away,” AMWU National Secretary Steve Murphy added.
