Strike causes delays at Australian airports

International passengers faced delays after customs and quarantine officers held strike action at Australia's major airports during the peak morning period. Thousands of workers walked off the job on Tuesday for an hour at airports across the country, to protest over stalled pay negotiations, and voted to escalate their action if a resolution was not found. Union members want a 13-percent pay rise over three years but are instead being offered nine percent by the government. The action came as media reports said Customs chief Michael Carmody was among a handful of public servants set to receive a Aus$300,000 (US$296,000) pay rise. "At a time when staff are being told to cop a three percent increase, news about massive increases for agency heads has not gone down well," said Nadine Flood, from the Customs agents' Community and Public Sector Union. She added that staff wanted a better deal or strike action could be stepped up. "Customs and quarantine members have sent a clear message to management about the need to improve the pay offer," she said. "Members voted today to escalate our industrial action, unless a better deal is offered." Travellers arriving at Sydney Airport on Tuesday reported chaotic and emotional scenes as frustrated passengers tried to get through customs. "It was chaos in there," Sydneysider Simon Lister, who flew in from Los Angeles, told reporters. "A lot of people who were queuing were getting irate and staff were getting irate too, they were getting very angry and pushing a lot of people out of the way." Yacov Barber jetted in from New York and missed his connecting flight to Melbourne. "Everyone was just pushing and shoving," he said. "It became quite emotional for many people." Sydney's international airport is set to be hit by further customs strikes on Thursday and Saturday, as is Cairns. The disruptions come ahead of fresh strikes over stalled contract talks by 4,000 Qantas ground staff on Friday -- their second walkout in as many weeks. The Qantas workers are arguing for pay and pension increases in their new contracts as well as job security as the airline undertakes an Asia-focused restructure that will see 1,000 staff laid off. Their action on Friday comes ahead of a three-day weekend in Australia -- one of the country's busiest travel times of the year.