12.06.09
Birmingham Airport ground staff - and staff at a number of other UK airports - could hold summer strikes after bosses at a ground handling company said they ‘did not have the money’ for pay rises agreed last year, the Post reports. Check-in staff and baggage handlers employed by Swissport at a number of UK airports are angry the a 2.75% pay increase has not been honoured.
A 2 year pay deal was agreed last year and staff wages should have increased from April 1. The same deal was agreed with staff across the country, who also work at other UK airports, including Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester, Glasgow and Newcastle.
The Unite union told the newspaper that Swissport told them it does not have the money to honour the agreement. John Partridge, regional secretary at Unite, said: ‘This 2 year deal was agreed last year but has not been honoured. There was agreement for a 2.75% pay increase in April. They told staff that they were sorry but they could not afford it.'
‘They met one of our national officers, who told them that they had to come up with the money. We spoke members to see if they would support industrial action and they said yes. We are now waiting to see what Swissport have to say. If they say they are not going to pay then there will be a ballot for industrial action .’
A Swissport spokesman told the Post: ‘As part of a pay agreement a minimum increase of 2.75% was agreed. However, the recent economic events were not foreseen. We have invited the union to join with us in seeking ways to increase revenue and productivity and reduce costs to fund the increase. Unfortunately they have refused to enter into any discussions.'
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