Glasgow Prestwick airport workers vote in favour of strike action
Unite the Union members say there is still time for airport bosses to re-enter negotiations.
Workers at Glasgow Prestwick Airport have voted in favour of strike action, but say management still have the chance to prevent it by re-entering negotiations.
Members of unite union say management at the Scottish Government owned airport have ignored their requests at every turn and will hold out for an offer that can keep up with inflation rates.
Industrial action is set to begin on Friday 5 August and will last for 4-weeks on every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Unite the Union say the dispute centres on the refusal of management to pay shift allowances, meet the real living wage (£9.90) rate for new starters, and the last offer for the workforce was between 4 and 6.5 percent.
Unite industrial officer, Siobhan McCready has told Clyde 1 they didn’t want it to come to this decision, but management have forced their hand.
She said: “We now hope that they will now come to the table and conduct some meaningful discussions because we did want it to get to this stage, but unfortunately we have been forced to make this decision today.
“Frankly at every turn, management have just ignored our requests. Our basic demands are, as a Scottish Government owned airport, thy meet the fair work criteria’s.
“Ultimately we are looking for a fair rise for our members who have worked very flexibly and hard all the covid and long before and after. They have really put their heart and soul in keeping this airport afloat.
“Inflation is at record highs at 11.7 per cent and this offer just doesn’t cut it.
Siobhan also said that heavy disruption should be expected during the strike days as they have workers in every area of the airport.
She added: “In terms of impact, any flight that is arriving in daytime hours on those days will be impacted because our people do just about every job in the airport from fire to security to ground handling, to cleaning staff.
“There is not a safe way for flights to land or take off while members are on strike, so it will have significant impact on the airport.
“But I will stress, we did want this dispute, we did not ask for it and we want the employer to come to the table with a better offer. There is still time to negotiate.
However, bosses at the airport say they are ‘disappointed’ in the decision to strike, and say the offer was 6.5 percent and above.
A spokesperson for Glasgow Prestwick Airport said: “We are extremely disappointed that Unite is continuing to pursue its threat of strike action - especially on the basis of just a small number of votes.
“Its confrontational approach jeopardises the fragile recovery of the airport following the pandemic and is denying the majority of our workforce a pay deal which will see 70% of our 300 employees receiving a pay increase of 6.5% or above, improvements to allowances, increased annual leave entitlement, enhanced sick pay provisions, and up to 2% more employer pension contributions.
“Less than one in five (18%) of our workforce voted in favour of strike action. The majority of our workforce have already backed our pay offer, which will also see all qualified staff earn above the real living wage and are keen to see it implemented as soon as possible.
“Unlike most other airports, we directly appoint our staff, making us one of the biggest employers in Ayrshire. We have strong plans to grow the business and create even more jobs.
“We urge Unite to reconsider their position, and work with us to realise our ambitions, which will have a positive impact on the local economy at a critical time for the region.”
Prestwick Airport is also a cargo base and hosts significant numbers of military flights and refuels from North America, along with domestic and international commercial flights.
It was taken into public ownership in November 2013 after being purchased by the Scottish Government for £1.
Unite have confirmed that talks facilitated by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) involving both parties will reconvene on Thursday afternoon in a last-ditch attempt to reach a deal that meets the aspirations of the workers before strike action occurs.
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