Qantas ground crew begin 24-hour strike as pay dispute escalates

More than 600 Qantas ground crew workers began a 24-hour strike across the country on Thursday, in an escalating industrial dispute with the airline, according to a Guardian Australia live news blog.

Qantas said it had contingency plans in place and that any disruption would primarily affect the airline's freight and regional QantasLink services. The airline said it remains focused on reaching an agreement through the bargaining process and is continuing to engage constructively with the relevant union.

The same live blog also noted that Australia and the Netherlands reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing truth, justice and accountability on behalf of the victims of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, though further detail on that development was not included in the excerpt reviewed for this article.

The Guardian's live blog format compiles rolling updates on multiple developing stories in Australia throughout the day; this account focuses on the elements of the blog supported by the available excerpt.