Border Force officers and other staff at Australia’s eight international airports are on strike today, as they push for better pay and conditions.
The strike was expected to cause delays across Australia with more than 5000 people walking off the job but reports of disruption have been minimal.
Still, passengers in Brisbane are being told to expect two-hour delays, and airports are asking passengers travelling internationally to arrive as early as possible.
1. Not all staff are on strike.
The union for Border Force employees, the Community and Public Sector Union, has agreed to exempt some staff from the strike action to protect national security and maintain counter-terrorism protections.
“As with previous industrial action at airports and other key locations, staff in some roles are excluded from walking off the job to protect national security,” the CPSU said in a media release announcing the strike.
2. This action follows previous strikes in a long-running dispute.
In September, union members began a series of rolling work stoppages to protest against what staff said was an unacceptable offer from the Federal Government.
Border Force staff are among thousands of government employees who are re-negotiating their enterprise agreements at the moment, and they are being offered a deal with a 2 per cent pay increase.
CPSU National Secretary Nadine Flood says that deal cuts pay for some workers by up to $8000 a year.
“These workers are angry because their boss is trying to cut their pay by $8,000 a year – and then accusing them of not living in the real world when they object.
“More than 10,000 Immigration and Borders staff have already voted against this proposal, but the Government’s not listening,” she said.
Watch Nadine Flood discuss the strikes on Today this morning (post continues after video).
