Australia's Airport Workers Protest Causes Minor Delays
The protest staged by some airport workers across the country have not caused major flight delays and disruptions in the Sydney and Brisbane airports, reports said.
The Sydney Airport is so far running and has not stopped although workers in-charge of checking arriving passengers for any bio-security risks and other prohibited items have suspended work for the last four hours beginning 6 AM on Friday.
Related reports from the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) and the Sun have said that flights proceed.
SMH said quoting a spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), which employs the quarantine staff, that "there had been no delays at Sydney."
Although the Sydney Airport spokesman had refused to confirm this report and give a statement.
In Brisbane, on the other hand, the morning rush hour had been dealt with as the government office of DAFF put reinforcement staff.
Brisbane Airport Corporation spokeswoman Rebecca Masci was quoted by the Herald Sun explaining that "everything went "smoothly" during the morning peak hour.
"Everything is running normally," Ms Masci said, noting that they have been through the morning deluge of passengers.
Authorities, however, have warned that because the protest will last a week, there could be constraints in the processing and more patience would be asked from the public.
The Australian Quarantine Inspection Service has put on additional staff to make sure that passengers are all processed and facilitated as normal. Aside from the quarantine officers, other workers involved in the strikes include cargo inspectors and staff examining inbound international mail.
Minor delays should be expected as well as for those arriving, some waiting time might be observed.
The industrial action is being carried out by members of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) over stalled pay talks with the DAFF.
Talks on Thursday aimed at resolving the dispute failed to reach an agreement.
The CPSU is demanding a 3.6 percent pay rise, in line with the consumer price index. The workers were offered 3 percent.