Exclusive: Worker raises concerns about chronic staff shortage, poor pay and unmanageable workload as domestic travel soars
In an interview with Guardian Australia, one Swissport baggage handler in Sydney – who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution – raised concerns that those loading and transporting bags to and from Qantas and Jetstar flights were overworked, poorly paid, and unable to handle the increase in baggage in recent months as domestic travel had soared.
In recent months, Swissport has contracted labour hire firms Star Aviation and Workfast – the latter of which is not aviation-specific – to fill the shortages in its teams working on Qantas and Jetstar operations. Training and processes differ depending on the airline, with the type of aircraft dictating how luggage is loaded.
“They’ve also been dropping transfer bags on arrival carousels, which is a reason why bags aren’t making it onto flights with passengers,” they said.