Certis-employed screening staff will stage two two-hour walkouts at Sydney Airport after a 99% vote for protected industrial action; the Transport Workers’ Union cites pay cuts, insecure contracts and airport profitability as drivers while Sydney Airport says it is planning contingencies.
Certis security screening workers at Sydney Airport will stop work for two hours twice on Thursday: 7:30–9:30am and 6:00–8:00pm, following a 99% vote for protected industrial action.
Sydney Airport is implementing contingency plans — rostering extra baggage and passenger facilitation staff — and is working with parties to minimise disruption.
Security screening staff employed by Certis at Sydney Airport will conduct protected industrial action on Thursday consisting of two two-hour stoppages: 7:30–9:30am and 6:00–8:00pm. The ballot returned a 99% vote in favour of action.
Union says security screeners are at "breaking point" after years of what the union describes as Sydney Airport-driven cuts to wages and conditions. The TWU highlights:
Airport's reported aeronautical profit of $584.3 million in 2024–25 while arguing the airport can fund better wages and more secure jobs for workers who perform critical safety functions.
The airport says it is aware of the planned action and is working with all parties to limit disruption. Announced steps include rostering additional staff in baggage areas and passenger facilitation roles in terminals. The airport is also conducting contingency planning with the apparent aim of maintaining passenger flows and safety.
This stoppage by Certis screeners is part of a cluster of industrial activity affecting Sydney Airport. Qantas Freight and QantasLink ground handling staff have also indicated planned strike action, and other TWU members have undertaken or signalled additional stoppages at the airport. Subsequent coverage confirmed twin strikes in which Qantas ground staff staged a full-day walkout while Certis staff conducted the two-hour walkouts on the same day.
Operational and passenger implications
Two short, timed stoppages are designed to cause concentrated pressure during busy travel windows. Potential impacts include longer queues, delayed processing through security, and downstream knock-on effects for flights and connections, particularly if other industrial actions occur simultaneously. The airport's contingency measures aim to reduce these effects, but passengers should expect possible delays.
What passengers and travellers should do
Qantas ground staff and Certis security screening staff have both taken industrial action on Thursday, with QGS employees walking off the job for a full 24 hours and Certis staff staging a pair of two-hour walkouts.
Up to 50 work safety officers who are responsible for activities surrounding the airport’s curfew, including closing off the airfield and tarmac and escorting contractors and emergency vehicles, will strike from 10pm to 1am until Thursday.
Passengers flying out of Sydney Airport are being told to allow for extra time as strikes continue.
Workers at Qantas Ground Services (QGS) and Australian Air Express (AAE) will walk off the job in Victoria on Wednesday and the rest of the country on Thursday, with the Transport Workers’ Union decrying what it labels as “corporate greed on steroids”.
Flying itself can be stressful, but passengers say some airports are doing a better job than others when it comes to the airport experience, according to a new study released Wednesday.
ACSA plans to implement 10 Instrument Landing System (ILS) projects across six airports over the next…
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.