Sydney Airport Security Screeners Will Strike Again on Friday, in Two Four-Hour Blocks

Security screeners at Sydney Airport will strike on Friday, October 16, 2026, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) said on October 14. The union says hundreds of workers employed by contractor Certis will walk out across both the domestic and international terminals.

It is the second round of screener action in a month. Each window runs four hours, twice the length of the two-hour walkouts the screeners staged in September.

What the union announced

The screeners want more full-time jobs, fairer rostering and no cuts to part-time hours, according to the TWU’s statement. The union said crisis bargaining talks are scheduled for Thursday, the day before the strike.

“These workers have already been forced to take strike action last month, and unless crisis talks result in a decent offer, they will be forced to again on Friday,” TWU NSW State Secretary Richard Olsen said. By his account, the strike could still be avoided if Thursday’s talks produce an acceptable offer.

As in September, the union is aiming its campaign at Sydney Airport rather than only at Certis. It says the airport’s threats to end contracts have turned security work into a race to the lowest bidder.

The TWU again cited the airport’s aeronautical profit of A$584.3 million in 2024-25, which it called the highest ever. TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said the airport was “telling companies like Certis to cut wages and conditions or lose their contract.”

AeroCorner found no statement from Sydney Airport or Certis on Friday’s action, and no report of a deal, as of October 14. In September, Certis told ABC News it was “committed to constructive bargaining” and that its Sydney screeners’ pay and conditions were “materially above those provided under the relevant industry award.”

How the September action played out

Around 400 Certis screeners first walked out for two hours on the morning of Thursday, September 24, with a second stoppage that evening, as AeroCorner reported at the time. One passenger told ABC News she had been in the security line for about 30 minutes.

The three-hour action flagged for the following Monday turned out to involve a different, smaller group. Up to 50 Certis work safety officers, who close off the airfield ahead of the airport’s overnight curfew, struck from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. through Thursday, October 1, Australian Aviation reported.

Sydney Airport said then that “there is no expected impact to passengers, flights or airport operations.” Friday is a different case: it is the screeners again, in daytime windows when departures are heavy.

The dispute is one of several in Australian aviation this spring. On October 2, Jetstar ground staff escalated a separate pay dispute with walkouts at seven airports.

Why the union is targeting the airport

In Australia, passenger screening is not done by a government agency. Airports and their service providers are directly responsible for delivering aviation security, including screening, while the Department of Home Affairs sets the requirements and outcomes, the department says.

In practice that means screening is bought as a service. At Sydney, Certis is the contractor that supplies it, and the TWU says the company was told earlier this year its contract might not be renewed.

That structure is why the TWU keeps naming Sydney Airport. Certis is the employer at the bargaining table, but the union argues that the airport’s contract terms cap what Certis can offer its workers.

Protected industrial action in Australia needs a secret ballot and then written notice to the employer, generally at least three working days ahead, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman. That is why travelers get the times days in advance.

What Friday flyers should do

If you depart Sydney on Friday morning or evening, plan for longer security lines in both windows. For the September walkouts, Sydney Airport told passengers to “allow extra time and stay alert for messages from their airline,” and that advice still fits.

Check your airline’s app the night before and again on Friday morning, in case Thursday’s talks end the dispute. Our guide to how early to arrive covers the bag-drop and boarding cutoffs that matter more than a rule of thumb.