Some workers at Melbourne Airport to go on strike Wednesday, but minimal disruption expected

MELBOURNE – Despite the looming 24-hour strike scheduled to start Wednesday at Melbourne Airport, passengers have nothing to worry about as contingency plans are in place to ensure things go smoothly .

A spokesman for the airport told The Straits Times that most flights are expected to depart as scheduled and passengers should proceed as normal unless advised otherwise by their respective airlines.

A strike involving about 40 workers at refueling giant Rivet Group could leave several airlines’ planes without fuel, including Qantas, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines (SIA). I have.

However, these affected airlines have plans to minimize disruption, with international flights preparing to stop in Adelaide or Sydney for refueling.

A Qantas spokeswoman said Wednesday’s flight schedule had not been changed, but that passengers would be contacted directly if there were any disruptions.

SIA will do the same if there are changes to any of its four daily flights between Singapore and Melbourne, a spokesperson for the domestic airline said.

“SIA will work closely with key stakeholders and service providers to ensure that we can continue to operate with Melbourne with as little disruption to our customers as possible.”

The strike, which begins at 4am local time (1am Singapore time), comes after more than a year of negotiations by workers with Rivet Group for higher wages and better working conditions.

The workers had not received a raise in the past three years, Melbourne newspaper The Age reported, and had called for improved overtime pay and the right to leave.

ST has contacted Rivet Group for further details regarding the employee’s request and the possibility of reaching an agreement with the employee.

44 of 42 Melbourne airport employees are entitled to action if they do not comply with their demands, but Rivet Group executive chairman Mark Rowsthorn said the threat of industrial action was ‘unnecessary’, reports It has been.

The company had previously made two offers to the transport union representing workers, but they were ignored and labeled unsatisfactory. Mr Lawston said.