NATIONAL JETSTAR STRIKES & AIRPORT PROTESTS TOMORROW FEB 19

Hundreds of Jetstar workers will hold a 24-hour strike tomorrow over poverty wages and a lack of hours. They and hundreds of airport workers will hold protests over conditions in aviation.

WHEN/WHERE:

Sydney domestic airport:

8.15am meet at bus/coach area, 8.30am protest at Jetstar terminal

9.00am press conference inside the terminal

Key speakers: Senator Tony Sheldon, ACTU President Michele O’Neil

Melbourne Tullamarine airport:

Protest 10am, meet outside Park Royal hotel

10.15am press conference outside Park Royal hotel, then march through the airport

Key speakers: TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine, ACTU Secretary Sally McManus

Brisbane airport:

Protest 9am, meet at domestic outside Jetstar check in

Cairns airport:

Protest 9am, outside domestic arrivals

Adelaide airport:

Protest 9am, Jetstar terminal

Perth airport:

Protest 1pm, meet at T3/T4

1.30pm press conference outside the terminal

BACKGROUND:

Jetstar broke off talks with its workers on Monday February 10 and put a “final offer” on the table without allowing for negotiations on it. Jetstar workers are the lowest paid in the Qantas Group with many guaranteed no more than 20 hours work per week. Jetstar has rejected their claims for a guaranteed minimum 30 hours a week, stable rosters that don’t constantly change, a commitment to engage Jetstar employees rather than untrained, exploited labour hire workers and appropriate pay rates for workers continually performing higher duties.

Jetstar has said if workers do not accept the substandard agreement it will refuse to pay them backpay to March 2019, which would amount to thousands of dollars per worker and enforce another wage freeze. Jetstar workers have already been told they will not receive the bonus Qantas announced after its bumper $1.3 billion profit last year because of their strike action in December.

Workers held strikes in December but called a moratorium over Christmas and during the bushfire relief effort.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

National/NSW: Judith Crosbie 0432 552 895

VIC: Nellie Metcalfe 0475 055 414

QLD:  Tom Millroy 0411 875 910

WA: Eloyise Braskic 0499 937 644

SA: Matt Burnell 0437 221 629