<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Disruption at tourist hotspots across Australia is expected today, with skydiving instructors walking off the job in what a union said was "unprecedented" industrial action.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) said skydiving instructors employed by tourism giant Experience Co's Skydive Australia were stopping work at eight sites in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The company's 130 instructors have received paltry pay rises in recent years, the AWU said.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/social-security-payments-increasing-indexation/ce15dab9-fa66-4ea6-aea7-cb5a637468ba" target="_blank"><strong><span>Cash boost for million-plus Aussies in just weeks</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Their decision to strike follows nearly 10 months of stalled negotiations for a first-ever enterprise agreement and the strongest financial results this year by Experience Co since 2018-2019.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Wage proposals by the company "included cuts of between $20,000 and $100,000 a year", the AWU said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The planned minimum annual wage for instructors would be slashed from $57,000 to $49,000.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/australian-skydiving-instructors-strike-over-pay-and-conditions/442ba5a9-0ed7-40bf-a72a-ceb47df096d6" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The AWU claimed the company was attempting to make skydiving instructors "gig workers", a move that could impact the safety of customers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Tandem skydiving instructors literally take people's lives in their hands every time they go to work," AWU national organiser Jonathan Cook said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-heatwave-warning-temperatures-to-hit-40-parts-of-city/f4bff7aa-de1b-4304-8380-5d06ed3591c6" target="_blank"><strong><span>Warning issued as major heatwave grips Sydney</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Skydiving Australia sites affected by the strike include Mission Beach in Queensland, Byron Bay in NSW and St Kilda in Victoria. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Experience Co described the stoppages as "unreasonable and irresponsible" and condemned the actions.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are at a loss to understand this action given the strength of our offers," chief executive John O'Sullivan said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He said the AWU has rejected every employer offer and responded with an ambit claim last month, which would add massive costs to the business.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He urged the union to return to the bargaining table with "reasonable expectations" to ensure a deal could be struck.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>O'Sullivan said Skydive Australia was "actively managing the situation" to reduce the impact, with some rescheduling required.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Customers are being contacted directly and offered alternative options or a full refund.</span></div></div>