Skydiving instructors across three Australian states have taken unprecedented strike action, grounding dozens of flights during one of the industry's busiest periods. The walkout is the culmination of a ten-month pay dispute between staff and tourism giant Experience Co.
Strike Action Hits Key Tourist States
Instructors employed by Experience Co, which operates as Skydive Australia, walked off the job on Friday at eight sites. The industrial action is affecting operations in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. This marks the first time skydiving instructors have taken strike action in Australia, according to the Australian Workers' Union (AWU).
The union says the strike follows stalled negotiations over a first-ever enterprise agreement for the 129 skydivers involved. The union's national organiser, Jonathan Cook, emphasised the high-stakes nature of the work. "Tandem skydiving instructors literally take people’s lives in their hands every time they go to work," he said.
A Clash Over Pay and Safety
The core of the dispute centres on pay structures and safety. The AWU claims that under the company's proposals, instructors could see their earnings drastically reduced, with some facing potential pay cuts of up to $100,000. The union alleges the company wants to remove productivity-based bonuses, introduced when skydivers were brought in-house in 2022, leaving some with base salaries of around $50,000.
"Would you want your mum strapped to an underpaid instructor?" Cook asked, highlighting concerns that low pay could compromise safety for customers. The union argues the company's offers would turn skilled instructors into "gig workers."
Experience Co's chief executive, John O'Sullivan, has strongly rejected the union's claims. He stated the company's proposals included "six-figure" salary offers that would make their employees among the highest-paid in the industry. O'Sullivan blamed "militant union bosses" for the disruption and called the action "unreasonable and irresponsible."
Festive Season Disruption and Fallout
The timing of the strike is significant, coinciding with the peak skydiving season when many people redeem experience gifts purchased for Christmas. Experience Co confirmed it is directly contacting affected customers to offer alternative booking dates or full refunds.
O'Sullivan defended the company's position, describing Skydive Australia as "effectively a small business" employing mostly young people in regional areas. He claimed the union's demands "would add massive costs that are simply not viable for the business."
With negotiations deadlocked since February, and both sides presenting starkly different pictures of the pay offers, the strike action throws the future of the talks into uncertainty. The disruption underscores a wider industrial tension in Australia's adventure tourism sector.
