Easter holidaymakers will be breathing a big sigh of relief, with aviation firefighters voting to postpone their nationwide strike action.
The work stoppages were due to kick off as early as Good Friday due to an ongoing pay dispute, with the Union accusing Airservices Australia of refusing to act over “short staffing and fatigue”.
However, members of the United Firefighters Union of Australia have opted to put off any potential strikes until after the busy Easter holiday break.
The news will come as a massive relief for those planning on heading away over the upcoming school holidays, as the stoppages had threatened to cancel flights on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
While the strike won’t be going ahead now, Union Secretary Wes Garrett hasn’t ruled out further industrial action in the future if their demands still aren’t met.
“Even though there won’t be any disruptions over the Easter holidays, of course, anything after that period is still on the agenda,” Mr Garrett told Nine.
“What we hope is that Air Services Australia will come to the table… We don’t want to take action, but unfortunately, this is what’s required.
“We’re hoping that in the interim Air Services will come to the table and we’ll get some genuine movement on our negotiations.
“It’s entirely possible that anytime after the Easter long weekend that we will announce some actions”.
