Union warns Glasgow Airport moves may just hit summer season vacations

Holidaymakers were warned of the opportunity of strike motion at Glasgow Airport over the summer season as greater than 800 employees from 5 corporations are serious about pay disputes.

Unite the union mentioned employees at Glasgow Airport Ltd, ICTS Central Search, Swissport, Menzies Aviation and Falck may well be balloted for walkouts.

The union mentioned that if there is not any a success solution to the disputes within the coming days, it’s going to transfer against maintaining votes on commercial motion inside of two weeks.

It warned moves may just “ground planes and passengers”.

More than 100 Swissport employees are locked in a dispute about rotas and work-life stability, consistent with Unite.

It mentioned the corporate “is demanding that workers at extreme short notice have to work shifts at various times and for various durations, which is directly impacting on their personal lives”.

Unite mentioned some Swissport workforce are “struggling with chronic fatigue”, and walkouts may well be held from the center of July, must individuals vote for commercial motion.

A spokesperson for Swissport mentioned: “We are in dialogue with Unite – the talks so far have been constructive and we remain focused on working together to address the issues being raised.”

The disruption caution from Unite covers quite a lot of separate disputes between employees throughout 5 corporations working on the airport:

• 250 ICTS Central Search employees, who take care of passengers immediately within the safety seek house and procedure them for flights, are these days serious about a dispute over under-staffing, running stipulations and pay

• 120 employees hired through Glasgow Airport Limited have rejected a elementary 3.6% pay building up, with workforce together with airport ambassadors, airside improve officials, engineers and bosses concerned

• The similar 3.6% pay building up was once rejected through 50 Falck firefighters who carry out fireplace protection purposes on the airport

• 300 Menzies Aviation employees, together with dispatchers, allocators, airside brokers and controllers, have rejected a elementary uplift value round 4.25%

According to the union, all of those disputes were happening for a while.

Unite’s Pat Mcilvogue instructed BBC Scotland News that talks with the 5 employers were ongoing “for months” however claimed that they had tabled “frivolous” gives which can be under inflation.

“It’s not just about the pay, it’s about the conditions, the working environment,” he mentioned.

“Our members are overstretched in the airport, suffer from fatigue.

“There’s deficient rostering, there is deficient organisation of labor, staffing ranges are low.”

He urged the companies to get round the table with Unite this week and to “desk significant gives”.

Mr Mcilvogue added: “Let’s paintings with Unite to keep away from any disruption for the travelling public in July.

“We’ve got more than a month to fix this before any potential action takes place.”

Unite normal secretary Sharon Graham mentioned the firms concerned “are all highly profitable and can easily afford to give our members better pay and working conditions.”

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport mentioned: “We have ongoing dialogue with Unite regarding a pay deal for our direct workforce.”

Phil Lloyd, senior vice chairman UK at Menzies Aviation, mentioned the corporate was once dedicated to in search of a solution and had made “an enhanced offer”.

He added: “We hope to reach an agreement which is workable for both the business and our employees at Glasgow airport.

“We proceed to paintings against an agreeable resolution to give protection to products and services for our airline and airport companions and their shoppers.”

Falck and ICTS Central Search were approached for remark.