Source : Perth Now news
Security workers have abandoned their posts at Sydney Airport in protest of “years of job uncertainty” and poor pay conditions.
Hundreds of security personnel from Certis will strike throughout the day on Friday, leaving Sydney’s domestic and international airports at Mascot without a number of key staff for most of the day.
The Transport Workers Union said the workers would be “calling on the airport to urgently step in to fund decent jobs instead of squeezing workers for obscene profits”.
Between 6am and 10am, and then again between 5pm and 9pm, unionised Certis staff will walk off the job, likely creating significant processing delays during those time periods within the airport.
On Friday morning, TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said the workers had turned to striking as a “last resort” because Sydney Airport had forced their hand.
“The company has said there would be a pay freeze, and they wanted to slash minimum hours by six. Having six fewer hours a week is sending shockwaves of panic through this workforce,” he told Today.
“The real fault here lies at the feet of Sydney Airport. (Our workers) are committed, they’re strong and they’ve been left with little choice.”
A Sydney Airport spokeswoman said the airport was “working closely with airport partners to minimise disruption and maintain passenger safety”.
“We recommend passengers travelling today allow extra time and stay alert for messages from their airline,” she said.
A spokesman from Certis, the security company contracted by the Airport, said the company remains “committed to constructive bargaining” and “values the work of our people”.
“On Thursday our employees received a new offer for their consideration … We are disappointed that, with that offer on the table, the TWU has chosen instead to proceed with industrial action that affects the travelling public,” the spokesman said.
“Certis will continue to engage constructively with our workforce and is working closely with Sydney Airport on contingency arrangements.”
About 60 per cent of security staff at Sydney Airport are employed full-time and earn more than $100,000 a year, and wages have risen by more than 50 per cent since 2019.
Part-time staff receive a minimum of 32 permanent hours a week.
