Unions at BAA’s six UK airports are to ballot more than 6,000 staff on possible strike action over pay. Ballots by the Unite and Prospect unions are the latest move in the dispute over the airport operator’s 1% pay offer, plus the possibility of 0.5% more. And a third union, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS), said it intended to ballot its 400 members on action short of a strike. Unite’s Brendan Gold said BAA staff had accepted a pay freeze in 2009 and described the 2010 offer as "paltry".
BAA, owned by Spain-based Ferrovial, said it was "disappointed" by news of the ballots. It operates London’s Heathrow and Stansted airports as well as Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Southampton airports. In addition to the 1% offer, Unite said BAA was offering an extra 0.5% if the unions agreed changes to the staff sickness agreement.
Prospect said its members were "outraged" by BAA’s decision not to honour a one-off payment agreed as part of the 2009 deal and an expected summer bonus. The company informed the unions it had failed to meet its profit target of £1.2 billion (US$1.8bn) by 3%, so would not pay the £450 and there would be no airport bonus, which is normally payable each summer and worth £700 to BAA staff.
Unite said: "BAA missed its earnings target by a tiny 3% and has still refused to give its staff any financial recognition for coming so close. The union understands the difficulties the airline industry is facing, but BAA must realise that these airport workers are struggling to make ends meet." Prospect negotiator Ben Middleton said: "Given that BAA staff accepted a pay freeze in 2009 to assist the company during a difficult period, the union made it absolutely clear that BAA has let its workforce down badly.
“Their loyalty to the company has not been recognised by management which has shown a complete disregard for the important contribution its employees make to the continued success of the business.” BAA said in a statement: "During recent discussions with Unite, we proposed a conditional 1.5% pay increase. "We believe this to be a reasonable offer at a time when BAA and its airline customers are seeing a decline in passengers due to the impacts of recession and volcanic ash." The strike ballots will open on Friday, 23 July and close on 12 August.
Source: IFW News, David Badger, 19 July 2010