SAFETY CONCERNS HEIGHTENED AS PERTH DNATA AIRPORT DISPUTE ESCALATES
Perth dnata ground workers will escalate their fight this week, walking off the job for a total of 24 hours from 5:30PM Thursday to 5:29PM Friday, as safety concerns mount over dnata’s reckless response to strike action.
Instead of bargaining with WA workers for fair pay and secure jobs, dnata is flying in interstate labour and allowing them to work up to 14-hours straight to cover the dispute.
“This is a company with deep pockets—so much so they can pay to fly in labour from the Eastern States, pay them more than Perth workers, have them stay at swanky hotels, and work them to exhaustion—but they won’t pay local workers a fair wage,” said TWU WA State Secretary Tim Dawson. “That’s not just insulting—it’s dangerous. Fatigued ground crew working on aircraft is a risk to safety, passengers, and the aviation system as a whole.”
Dnata ground staff in Perth remain the lowest paid dnata workers in the country, despite doing the same work as their Eastern States counterparts. Management has told WA workers to “move to Sydney” if they want more pay.
“Perth airport workers drive this state’s aviation industry which drives this country’s economy, and yet are penalised with poverty wages.” Mr. Dawson said. “Instead of flying in more expensive labour just to keep WA workers in their place, dnata should be sitting down with WA workers and recognising their contribution to this state’s economy.”
Last week’s stoppages saw dnata respond with heavy-handed strikebreaking tactics. This week flights to Singapore, the UAE, South Africa, Vietnam, New Zealand, and some air freight will be disrupted as dnata workers stand firm against low pay, insecure work, and unsafe practices.
The strike follows dnata workers overwhelmingly rejecting the company’s substandard agreement, with 79% voting it down, and 94.7% voting in favour of protected industrial action. Workers are demanding more hours, fairer rosters, and decent pay to rebuild aviation jobs smashed by Qantas outsourcing and dnata’s race-to-the-bottom approach.
“When companies cut corners, slash wages, and push labour to exhaustion, planes don’t leave on time, passengers are left stranded but most importantly safety suffers. Aviation doesn’t work without skilled, rested, and secure workers,” Mr. Dawson said.
The TWU is calling for urgent reform to fix Australia’s broken aviation industry and prevent further crises:
Airports: Prioritise safety and people over profits.
Airlines: Guarantee secure, fairly paid jobs for all aviation workers.
Governments: Establish a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to protect aviation from unsafe, profit-driven practices.
Regulators: Step in when companies use exhausted labour and unsafe rostering to cut costs.
“Western Australians deserve a safe, reliable aviation industry,” Mr. Dawson said. “That starts with decent, secure jobs—not 14-hour shifts for flown-in labour while local workers are left on poverty wages.”
HOW DNATA GROUND RATES STACK UP:
Lowest paid ground staff employed in Australia by dnata
Every other port pays their ground staff between 8.2% and 34.8% more than the same worker would get in Perth
Perth ground staff are the only ones not covered by the national Ramp and Cargo Agreement
Perth's largest ground handler and therefore dnata's biggest competitor pays between 6.3% and 10.3% more than dnata and will increase wages by another 3% in January
An entry level ground handler at dnata gets just 13 cents per hour above the Award safety net