Travellers passing through Canberra Airport next week have been warned to arrive early and expect longer security queues as members of the United Workers Union (UWU) prepare a series of rolling work stoppages beginning Tuesday 23 December. The industrial action targets MSS Security, the airport’s screening contractor, after pay negotiations stalled.
UWU says its members are paid up to AU$6 per hour less than counterparts at Sydney Airport despite performing identical regulated duties, and notes that the cost-of-living squeeze in the ACT has eroded real wages. The union has left the door open to cancel strike plans if a last-minute deal emerges, but management has so far offered only modest increments linked to productivity reforms.
Canberra Airport processes close to 17,000 passengers a day during the Christmas peak, many connecting to international flights via Sydney and Melbourne. Even short delays at screening points could trigger missed onward connections, forcing airlines to re-route passengers and increasing compensation costs.
![Canberra Airport braces for security-staff strike in peak holiday week]()
For travellers whose itineraries include an overseas leg, ensuring visa and transit paperwork is in order will help minimize further disruption. VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides a streamlined, step-by-step service to obtain visas and electronic travel authorizations, offering real-time status updates that can alleviate some of the stress caused by the anticipated airport delays.
Corporate mobility teams with essential government or defence travellers should consider booking earlier departures, purchasing lounge access that allows fast-track security where available, and building wider connection buffers. Employers are also advised to keep employees informed of their rights under Australia’s Fair Work Act should industrial action expand or become indefinite.
The dispute underscores a broader trend of labour-relations turbulence across Australia’s aviation sector, with baggage-handlers, ground staff and now security officers all leveraging robust travel demand to push for wage parity. Unless a negotiated settlement is reached swiftly, Canberra could become a bellwether for similar actions at other second-tier airports in 2026.
UWU says its members are paid up to AU$6 per hour less than counterparts at Sydney Airport despite performing identical regulated duties, and notes that the cost-of-living squeeze in the ACT has eroded real wages. The union has left the door open to cancel strike plans if a last-minute deal emerges, but management has so far offered only modest increments linked to productivity reforms.
Canberra Airport processes close to 17,000 passengers a day during the Christmas peak, many connecting to international flights via Sydney and Melbourne. Even short delays at screening points could trigger missed onward connections, forcing airlines to re-route passengers and increasing compensation costs.
For travellers whose itineraries include an overseas leg, ensuring visa and transit paperwork is in order will help minimize further disruption. VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides a streamlined, step-by-step service to obtain visas and electronic travel authorizations, offering real-time status updates that can alleviate some of the stress caused by the anticipated airport delays.
Corporate mobility teams with essential government or defence travellers should consider booking earlier departures, purchasing lounge access that allows fast-track security where available, and building wider connection buffers. Employers are also advised to keep employees informed of their rights under Australia’s Fair Work Act should industrial action expand or become indefinite.
The dispute underscores a broader trend of labour-relations turbulence across Australia’s aviation sector, with baggage-handlers, ground staff and now security officers all leveraging robust travel demand to push for wage parity. Unless a negotiated settlement is reached swiftly, Canberra could become a bellwether for similar actions at other second-tier airports in 2026.
