Three pay disputes with Glasgow Airport, ICTS and Swissport remain unresolved

Unite confirmed today (Friday 4 July) that around 450 workers are on course for summer strike action in unresolved disputes with three companies based at Glasgow airport. 

The companies still involved in pay and working conditions disputes with Unite are Glasgow Airport Ltd, ICTS Central Search, and Swissport. 

The union can confirm that an emphatic 98.7 per cent of Unite members employed by Glasgow Airport Limited have backed taking industrial action to secure a better pay offer. Around 100 workers employed by the company have recently rejected a basic four per cent pay offer.  

The Glasgow Airport Limited workers include airport ambassadors, airside support officers, engineers and managers. Glasgow Airport Limited made £40.65m in its latest recorded accounts. 

A further 250 ICTS central search workers remain in a live dispute over understaffing, working conditions and pay. The workers deal with passengers directly in the security search area and process them for flights.  Unite members are currently being balloted on a pay offer on basic pay, shift allowances and overtime rates.  ICTS (UK) Limited made £4.4m in its latest accounts. 

Over 100 Swissport workers are still in dispute over working rotas and work-life balance, plus health and safety concerns. Swissport is the country's largest ground handler. Workers provide ground handling services to many major airlines, including ticketing and baggage handling.  

The workers are struggling with chronic fatigue and understaffing. Swissport is demanding that workers at extremely short notice have to work shifts, which is directly impacting on their personal lives.  

A consultative ballot on a new offer made by Swissport to address these outstanding issues has been put to the workforce. The ballot concludes on 14 July. If this offer is rejected, Unite will move to open a full industrial action ballot. Swissport made £17.6m in its latest recorded profits. 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: Employers at Glasgow Airport will not get away with underpaying or mistreating Unite’s members. Hundreds of workers are involved in disputes at the airport. Summer strike action which would ground planes and passengers remains on the cards. These highly profitable companies can easily afford to put the minds of the travelling public at rest by making fair offers to workers.” 

Meanwhile, Unite can confirm that a dispute involving 300 Menzies Aviation workers has now been resolved. The union successfully negotiated a deal which establishes a four per cent minimum increase for new starters, and up to 10 per cent for workers depending on grades. The Menzies workers include dispatchers, allocators, airside agents and controllers.  

50 Falck firefighters who perform fire safety functions at the airport have also accepted a basic wage increase of 4.5 per cent following successful negotiations held by Unite and the company which also brings this pay dispute to a close. 

Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, said: “Strike action has moved a step closer after our Glasgow Airport Limited members emphatically backed industrial action. We believe the airport's new management is attempting to put us on a collision course which would bring out hundreds of workers on strike during the peak summer holiday season."

 "Meanwhile, Unite has successfully delivered significant pay deals for our members at Menzies Aviation and Falck. These deals build on the recent successes made with other companies at the airport. It clearly demonstrates that pay disputes can be resolved through negotiation and without the need for industrial action if companies are willing to work with Unite.” 

Unite recently announced a series of wage wins for 100 North Air workers across Scottish airports, and over 140 workers based at Glasgow airport employed by ABM and OCS

ENDS

Notes to Editor For media enquiries please contact Andrew Brady on 07810157922.Email andrew.brady@unitetheunion.org

Unite Scotland is the country’s biggest and most diverse trade union with around 150,000 members. The union is led in Scotland by Derek Thomson.