The 24-hour industrial action is taking place at Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth airports, according to the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), which represents the workers involved in the dispute.
The union said employees from Qantas Ground Services (QGS), Australian Air Express (AAE) freight operations and regional carrier QantasLink were participating in the strike.
The workers are seeking pay increases they say are consistent with industry standards, as well as the creation of more full-time positions. They are also calling for the integration of various work groups under a single Qantas structure.
According to the TWU, the airline's use of multiple subsidiaries has fragmented its workforce and contributed to concerns about workplace safety.
In Sydney, the industrial action is expected to involve additional airport safety screeners. The TWU said up to 400 screeners would stage two separate two-hour stoppages on Thursday, with another three-hour stoppage planned for September 28.
“Strike action is always a last resort, but we are literally seeing workers maimed and killed keeping these critical services going,” TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said in a statement.
The union has also criticised Qantas' labour arrangements, arguing that years of cost-cutting have created a system that needs a major overhaul.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of a controversial decision by Qantas during the COVID-19 pandemic to outsource the jobs of more than 1,800 ground workers responsible for handling operations across its wider Australian network.
The outsourcing was subsequently found to be illegal, with an Australian court ordering Qantas last year to pay a record A$90 million fine, equivalent to about US$64.03 million at the exchange rate cited by Reuters.
The TWU has pointed to the episode as evidence of the need for significant changes to Qantas' employment structure and workplace practices.
The union's latest action reflects broader concerns among the affected workers over wages, employment arrangements and safety as they negotiate with the airline.
Qantas had not immediately responded to a Reuters request for comment at the time of publication.