Baggage handlers strike threat
07.07.09
Angry airport workers look ‘almost certain’ to ballot for industrial action after bosses continued to refuse to pay an agreed wage increase, the Post reports. Swissport has told its Birmingham Airport workers that they ‘do not have the money’ for the pay increases. The company's staff at Stansted and Manchester airport have already started the formal process for industrial action and a ballot is likely to be held in the next few weeks.
Check-in staff and baggage handlers, who are employed by Swissport at Birmingham Airport, are angry about a 2.75 percent pay increase that has not been honoured. The two-year deal was agreed last year and salaries should have increased from April 1. The same deal was agreed with members across the country, who also work at Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester, Glasgow and Newcastle.
John Partridge, deputy regional secretary at Unite, told the newspaper: ‘This has still not been resolved and it’s now looking almost certain that the legal process to ballot for industrial action will have to be started. I have spoken to our representative at the airport and he said there seemed to be little alternative but to start the process of a ballot for industrial action.'
‘This two-year deal was agreed last year and should have started in April. We sent them a formal letter, which asked them to come up with the cash, but as far as I know they have not responded. We went out to the members to see if they would support the principal of industrial action and they said yes.’
A Swissport spokesman said: ‘A minimum increase of 2.75 percent was agreed. However, the subsequent economic events were obviously not foreseen. We have invited the union to join with us in seeking ways both to increase revenue and productivity and reduce costs to fund these improvements.’
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