Update — 29 October 2026: Qantas Freight’s published notice lists 24-hour stoppages across Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth beginning at staggered times on 28 October. The Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne windows have ended; Brisbane and Perth are scheduled to continue until 6.59pm local time on 29 October. Qantas says freight terminals will remain operational, with contingency arrangements and priority for time-sensitive freight. Customers are advised to allow additional processing time. No independently verified freight delay totals or consignment-level outcomes are available in the primary material reviewed. The original report below describes the advance notice and dispute background.
The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) says hundreds of Qantas ground workers will take action at Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth airports in a dispute over pay, employment conditions, working hours and the structure of the airline’s ground-services workforce.
Qantas outlines freight contingencies
In a statement provided to Which Way To Go on 23 October, a Qantas spokesperson said: “We will have strong contingency plans in place and do not expect this action to cause any disruption to QantasLink customers.”
Qantas said TWU members work across three workgroups predominantly supporting freight, with a smaller number servicing QantasLink at Sydney Airport. It said those employees do not service Qantas Domestic or Qantas International flights, or QantasLink outside Sydney.
The airline said there would be no impact to freight operations at Western Sydney International Airport, and that contingencies at other ports were intended to minimise disruption. Critical and time-sensitive freight would be prioritised, it said. Those assurances are forecasts, not confirmation that every consignment will move without delay.
Australia Post responds
An Australia Post spokesperson told Which Way To Go: “Australia Post has detailed contingency plans in place and is working closely with freight partners to minimise any impact on customers and delivery services during the industrial action.”
Australia Post did not identify specific parcel routes, regional services or delivery categories expected to be affected.
Union’s concerns and Qantas’s response
The TWU says workers are seeking fairer pay, more full-time roles and hours, and a unified workforce structure. The union has raised serious concerns about workplace safety and referred to a fatal incident involving a Qantas Freight worker in 2025. Those concerns should not be taken as independent findings about the cause of the incident or the outcome of any investigation.
Qantas disputes the TWU’s wider safety assertions, saying recordable injuries have decreased and rejecting the claim that safety incidents increased after ground handling moved to Swissport more than five years ago. Independent comparative safety data have not been examined for this report.
Qantas said fewer than 600 TWU members are eligible to take protected industrial action. It said its proposed Qantas Ground Services agreement would include back pay from September 2025, increases of up to 26 per cent over the agreement’s life, more full-time opportunities and more guaranteed part-time hours. These are Qantas’s descriptions of a proposed agreement, not an accepted settlement.
What freight customers should watch
The actual effect of the 28 October stoppage will depend on participation, staffing and contingency capacity at each airport. Businesses moving urgent medical supplies, perishables, express parcels or other time-sensitive consignments should confirm arrangements with their freight providers and monitor carrier updates.
Disruption remains a risk, not a confirmed outcome.
For background, see WWTG’s September report on the earlier industrial action.
Reporting: Statements supplied to WWTG by Qantas and Australia Post on 23 October 2026; TWU announcement issued 23 October. No image has been used pending completion of the editorial illustration upload.