> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bushletter.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Qantas freight and regional ground crews will strike next week - URL: https://www.bushletter.com/qantas-freight-and-regional-ground-crews-strike-next-week/ - Published: 2026-09-20T21:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-20T20:59:59.000Z - Description: Transport Workers Union members voted 344 to 8 to approve the protected action, which targets Sydney Airport operations on September 23 and 24 as school holidays begin. - Author: Editor - Tags: News, Australia, Qantas ![Vikram Singh](https://res.cloudinary.com/dz77sb7j1/image/upload/v1774262610/bushletter/authors/vikram-singh.png) By **Vikram Singh** ยท 2026-09-19 TLDR Around 650 Qantas Ground Services workers will walk off the job on 23 and 24 September 2026, hitting Qantas Freight and QantasLink at Sydney Airport as school holidays begin in three states. The Transport Workers Union ballot returned 344 yes votes to 8 against. Mainline and international Qantas flights are unaffected. KEY TAKEAWAYS 01344 out of 352 TWU members voted yes to 24-hour stoppages in the Fair Work Commission ballot. 02Only Qantas Freight and QantasLink services at Sydney Airport face disruption; mainline flights are unaffected. 03Victorian workers strike on 23 September; workers elsewhere follow on 24 September. 04TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine blamed management for reviving Alan Joyce-era wage suppression tactics. 05Qantas says contingency plans are in place and is seeking to stop the action. ## A near-unanimous ballot and a school-holiday deadline Of 352 members who voted in Fair Work Commission ballot B2026/959, 344 supported 24-hour stoppages and just 8 voted against.[\[1\]](https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/ballot-results/twu%5F2026959.pdf?ref=bushletter.com) That is a 97.7 per cent yes result across ten proposed protected actions, filed by the Transport Workers Union against Qantas Ground Services Pty Limited on 27 August 2026. The timing is deliberate. Victorian workers walk off on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, with workers in other states following on Thursday, 24 September, as Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory enter school holidays.[\[2\]](https://www.twu.com.au/press/hundreds-of-qantas-ground-workers-to-strike-against-joyce-era-tactics/?ref=bushletter.com) Around 650 workers are involved, servicing Qantas Freight and QantasLink operations at Sydney Airport, while mainline domestic and international flights remain unaffected. ## What the union wants and what it is accusing management of The TWU's dispute centres on pay, job security and safety, and TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine framed it squarely as a replay of tactics from the previous Qantas leadership. "Old habits die hard and the same despicable Alan Joyce tactic of splintering the Qantas workforce has been dusted off by the new bosses who want to suppress wages and smash conditions. This is corporate greed on steroids and it comes at the expense of quality service for customers, and safe, reliable jobs for the workforce," Kaine said.[\[2\]](https://www.twu.com.au/press/hundreds-of-qantas-ground-workers-to-strike-against-joyce-era-tactics/?ref=bushletter.com) Kaine also placed responsibility for any freight disruption directly on management. "Any disruption to freight, including Australia Post shipments, sits solely at the feet of Qantas management and its brutal disregard for customers and the workforce," he said.[\[2\]](https://www.twu.com.au/press/hundreds-of-qantas-ground-workers-to-strike-against-joyce-era-tactics/?ref=bushletter.com) The reference to Australia Post shipments signals that the commercial fallout could extend well beyond airline passengers. ## Qantas says it has a plan A Qantas spokesperson said the airline has "well developed contingency plans to minimise any impact on QantasLink customers and our operation" and the carrier is seeking to stop the action.[\[3\]](https://australianaviation.com.au/2026/09/qantas-ground-workers-to-strike-over-pay-and-conditions/?ref=bushletter.com) Qantas has not publicly detailed what those contingency arrangements involve. The dispute carries considerable background weight. In December 2024, Qantas and the TWU reached a $120 million settlement for ground handlers outsourced during the COVID-19 pandemic. It followed the High Court upholding a Full Federal Court ruling that Qantas had contravened the adverse action provisions of the Fair Work Act. The current action involves workers who remain inside Qantas Ground Services, and the union argues that the same structural logic of fragmentation is being applied to them ahead of the 23 September stoppage. SOURCES & CITATIONS 1. [Fair Work Commission Protected Action Ballot Result B2026/959](https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/ballot-results/twu%5F2026959.pdf?ref=bushletter.com) 2. [TWU Press Release: Hundreds of Qantas ground workers to strike against Joyce-era tactics](https://www.twu.com.au/press/hundreds-of-qantas-ground-workers-to-strike-against-joyce-era-tactics/?ref=bushletter.com) 3. [Qantas ground workers to strike over pay and conditions](https://australianaviation.com.au/2026/09/qantas-ground-workers-to-strike-over-pay-and-conditions/?ref=bushletter.com) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Which Qantas flights are affected by the 24-hour strike? Only Qantas Freight and QantasLink services at Sydney Airport are affected. Mainline domestic and international Qantas flights are not disrupted. When exactly do the stoppages happen? Victorian workers strike on Wednesday, 23 September 2026\. Workers in other states and territories stop work on Thursday, 24 September 2026. What was the ballot result? In Fair Work Commission ballot B2026/959, 344 members voted yes to 24-hour stoppages and 8 voted against, out of 352 votes cast. ![Vikram Singh](https://res.cloudinary.com/dz77sb7j1/image/upload/v1774262610/bushletter/authors/vikram-singh.png) [Vikram Singh](https://bushletter.com/author/vikram-singh/?ref=bushletter.com) Vikram Singh writes about banking. He follows where money actually moves, from the strategy set in head office to what changes on a customer's phone.