Qantas prepares for Tuesday strike

SYDNEY (AAP) - Qantas will use larger aircraft and redeploy staff to minimise disruptions to flights, as more than 3000 workers prepare to stop work.
Baggage handlers, caterers and ground staff will stop work on September 20 for four hours during the morning peak in most airports nationwide.
The stoppages will disrupt flights for up to 48 hours, Qantas said.
In preparation, the airline said it would use larger aircraft, consolidate services and deploy management staff to act in operational roles to minimise disruptions to passengers.
It will also publish an updated schedule in the coming days and contact any passengers affected by the strike to make alternative travel arrangements, Qantas Group Executive Olivia Wirth said in a statement on Thursday.
The work stoppages are part of an ongoing dispute over pay, conditions and job security between Transport Workers Union (TWU) members and Qantas.
TWU members voted 95 per cent in favour of taking industrial action in ballots run by the Australian Electoral Commission over the past month.
"We're hopeful that Qantas will actually make an offer but in the last number of months they have failed," TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon told reporters on Thursday.
Qantas has said it is still assessing the impact industrial action would have on airports around the country and domestic and international flights.
The airline has attacked TWU for demanding pay increases and new restrictions on labour flexibility which would make Qantas less competitive.