An airport firefighters strike could interrupt upcoming travel plans. 

In an unfolding dispute over pay within Australia's public sector, airport firefighters, represented by the United Firefighters Union — Aviation Branch (UFUA), have raised the spectre of strike action over the April holiday period.

The UFUA has indicated that stoppages could commence as early as Thursday, March 28, pending the outcome of a protected action ballot.

This potential strike is part of a broader contention involving numerous unions outside the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) over the government's latest pay offer under the so-called Australian Public Service-wide bargaining. 

A core grievance among these unions is the bargaining policy of the Australian Public Service Commission, which, they argue, restricts the ability of non-APS agencies to negotiate their own pay deals, affecting workers in non-administrative roles such as police, firefighters, and tradespeople.

The UFUA's dispute also extends to concerns over staffing levels and the shortages of firefighters, which the union contends lead to short staffing, fatigue, and compromised safety for air travellers. 

“Right now, domestic and international flights are taking off and landing without the required number of aviation firefighters and trucks to protect that aircraft’s size and passenger capacity,” says UFUA branch secretary Wes Garrett.

“In some cases, flights are operating with no aviation firefighters on duty.”

Amid the escalating tensions, Airservices Australia, tasked with providing aviation firefighting services, has put forth a pay rise proposal amounting to $32 million over three years, aligning with the Australian Public Service Commission's recent decision. 

However, this offer falls significantly short of the union's demands, which, according to an Airservices spokesperson, would incur an additional $128 million, including a 20 per cent pay increase. 

A spokesperson has warned of the potential for industrial action to “disrupt the travel plans of tens of thousands of Australians and international visitors during the peak Easter holiday season”, a period still marked by the aviation sector's recovery from the pandemic's impacts.