Quantem and Qantas face action

Quantem workers at the company’s Coode Island bulk liquids facility in Melbourne walked off the job this week, while more than 600 Qantas ground workers separately voted to back protected industrial action in a pay, safety and job-security dispute. Daily Cargo News reported the Quantem stoppage on September 2, saying operations at the site had been disrupted. (thedcn.com.au) Human Resources Online reported the Qantas vote the same day, citing worker demands for stronger job security, improved pay and safer conditions. (humanresourcesonline.net) The two disputes involve different employers and different bargaining settings, but both are unfolding in transport-linked operations where relatively small groups of workers can affect freight, logistics and service continuity. (thedcn.com.au) The Transport Workers’ Union said Qantas ground workers now have the right to take industrial action in coming weeks after the ballot result. ### What set off the strike at Quantem’s Coode Island site? Daily Cargo News reported that workers at Quantem’s Coode Island facility went on strike over contract negotiations, with the dispute escalating amid reports the company had laid off its workforce. The site is a bulk liquids facility at Coode Island in Melbourne, a location tied to fuel and chemical logistics. (thedcn.com.au) The publication said the stoppage prompted community support and company disruption. Public detail on the bargaining claims was limited in the report, but the strike was described as linked to negotiations and layoffs at the site. (thedcn.com.au) ### Why are Qantas ground workers preparing protected action? More than 600 Qantas ground workers in Australia backed protected industrial action, according to Human Resources Online. The report said the workers were pressing for stronger job security, improved pay and safer conditions. The Transport Workers’ Union said on September 1 that 97% of participating workers voted in favor of industrial action. (thedcn.com.au) The union said the workers are in Qantas Ground Services, a wholly owned Qantas subsidiary, and that they perform work for Qantas Freight and the carrier’s regional Q-Link service. ### What numbers are driving the Qantas dispute? Qantas reported more than A$2 billion of underlying pre-tax profit, Human Resources Online said, placing the bargaining fight against a backdrop of strong earnings. The union separately described those profits as “mammoth” in a September 1 statement. (humanresourcesonline.net) The union said the remaining 600 Qantas Ground Services workers are part of a smaller workforce left after 1,800 ground staff were illegally outsourced. That outsourcing battle has remained a reference point in the company’s labor relations, and the union said current workers had seen pay, safety and conditions deteriorate. (twu.com.au) ### How much disruption could these actions cause? Coode Island is a specialized logistics site, and Daily Cargo News said the Quantem walkout was already disrupting operations in Melbourne. In transport and logistics settings, site-level stoppages can quickly affect customers, freight flows and scheduling because the work is concentrated in critical facilities. (humanresourcesonline.net) Qantas Ground Services workers handle freight and regional airline support work, according to the union. That means any protected action, if it proceeds, could affect parts of Qantas Freight, Australia Post-related work and Q-Link operations named by the union. (twu.com.au) ### What happens next in both disputes? The Transport Workers’ Union said Qantas ground workers now have the right to walk off the job in the coming weeks following the ballot. The union also said another vote was due for Australian Air Express workers, a Qantas subsidiary, in a related bargaining campaign. (thedcn.com.au) At Quantem, Daily Cargo News said the strike at Coode Island was active as of September 2 and tied to ongoing contract negotiations. The next public milestones are likely to come from company statements, union updates or any Fair Work process connected to the bargaining. (thedcn.com.au) (twu.com.au 1) (twu.com.au 2)