WHEN: 11 am Monday 3 February 2025
WHERE: Canberra Airport taxi rank
WHAT: Over 50 airport workers will rally at Canberra Airport. In the first Parliamentary sitting week as politicians from all over the country fly in to Canberra airport, Airport Security Officers are facing massive risks to conditions and job insecurity.
WHO: Airport workers and United Workers Union Property Services Director Lyndal Ryan will be available for comment.
Quotes attributable to Srinivas Narra, Airport Security Officer:
“I’ve worked at Canberra Airport for four years. I have two children, aged 11 and 9. Our oldest child has a disability and needs a lot of extra support from me and my wife. We work as a team to give her a good life, but with the uncertainty at work we’re worried for hers and our future.
“The job is important because it’s about keeping people safe, but it’s also decent and secure and lets you provide for your family. My wife works part-time because she needs to care for the kids – and for example she has not had any income for the past 6 weeks because of the school holidays.
“Everyone is worried about us going backwards. MSS is clearly anti-union and is refusing to agree to continue with the current Union-negotiated agreement.
“I don’t think it’s fair that we have to re-apply for the jobs we’re already doing just because the contract has changed. We need our jobs to be secure.
“I’m worried for the future.”
Quotes attributable to Lyndal Ryan, United Workers Union Property Services Director:
“MSS have a history of cutting corners, under-cutting conditions in the industry, and leaving workers high and dry.
“Canberra Airport has a responsibility to the workers keep people safe in high-risk security areas of the airport in our nation’s capital. Choosing a contractor who leads on a race to the bottom on exploitation and selectively following the law is just not good enough.
“These workers are crucial in making sure this airport function.
Background:
“It’s disgraceful that workers who want to stay will face job insecurity and risks to their pay and conditions when they just want to keep doing their jobs.”
At the end of last year, the Canberra Airport Group (CAG) chose not to continue with the current contractor Certis and instead awarded the security contract to international conglomerate MSS Security, a company notorious for its exploitative practices, use of dodgy sub-contractors, high turnover of HR personnel, aggressive approach to industrial relations, and its general anti-Union attitudes.
MSS will take over security operations from Certis on 1 March 2025 and so far:
- MSS has refused to honour all existing wages and conditions in a genuine Enterprise Agreement.
- Advised UWU that there are terms within the existing Certis Agreement that it “…would not want carried over in their ‘current form’ to any future agreement”.
- Advised existing workers that they will have to reapply for their jobs and, if successful, undergo a probation period.
- Refused to give employees a guarantee that all current Certis workers will be offered new employment with MSS.
- Advised employees that MSS will not be offering work to any visa-holders.