Birmingham Airport staff threaten to strike
Workers at Birmingham Airport are threatening to strike following the breakdown of pay talks between union officials and management last week.
Unite, which represents security staff, baggage handlers and engineers among workers at the airport, said more than 76% of members who responded to a recent ballot voted to reject the company’s latest pay offer.
It described the company’s ‘final offer’ of 2.5% plus a one-off payment of £150 as ‘paltry’. It claimed workers’ pay had been frozen for more than three years, during which time the RPI has risen 13%. Last year, Birmingham Airport made a profit of £5.2m, it said.
However, an airport spokesman said the offer put to Unite represented a pay increase of more than 3% for some employees. He added: ‘The Airport Company is very disappointed to learn that its backdated pay increase offer, which for some members is in excess of 3%, has not been supported by the unions and subsequently refused by its members.
"It is even more disappointing because less than half of the union members balloted actually rejected the offer.
"The Unions have informed us they will now proceed to ballot for industrial action, this process could take several weeks. It is unknown what type of industrial action the Union are proposing but due to the low numbers involved the Airport Company is confident that there will be no disruption to normal operations."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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