Summer holiday strike chaos threat as unions warn airport staff could walk out over pay
Holidaymakers face weeks of travel misery at Scotland's two biggest airports this summer as staff look set to walk out in a dispute over pay.
Around 600 ground crew workers at Edinburgh and Glasgow international terminals could bring operations to near standstill after 'emphatically' rejecting two separate pay offers.
Now union leaders are warning that strike action is 'looming' unless their employer Menzies Aviation puts an improved deal on the table.
Unite the Union, which represents the workers, branded the basic pay offer of around 4 per cent at Edinburgh and 4.25 per cent at Glasgow as 'unacceptable' after the company announced a 'record-breaking performance' last year.
And it said if improved offers are not made it will have 'no option' but to ballot members on industrial action during the peak season.
This could lead to delays and cancellations affecting major airlines including British Airways, Loganair, Emirates, Lufthansa and AIR Transat, all of which are supported by Menzies ground handling and passenger services workers.
Menzies staff are also used by Aer Lingus, American Airlines and United Airlines, with strike action likely to spell misery for tens of thousands of holidaymakers hoping to jet off to popular destinations such as Spain and the US.
Unite industrial officer Carrie Binnie said: 'Summer strike action looms over Edinburgh and Glasgow airports because the pay offers on the table from Menzies Aviation aren't good enough.
'Menzies Aviation has the ability to improve its offers and they can easily resolve this pay dispute without any disruption to the travelling public. If the company fail to table a better offer to our members, Unite will have no option but to ballot our members for strikes over the summer holidays.'
A total of 97 per cent of the estimated 300 workers balloted in Glasgow voted against the latest pay offer of 4.25 per cent, while all 300 staff based at Edinburgh turned down an offer worth around 4 per cent.
It comes just two months after Menzies, which has ground handling staff at around 300 airports in 65 countries, announced it had achieved its fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth after global revenue reached £1.9billion [$2.6bn (USD)] - up 20 per cent over the year.
The company also reported global earnings before tax of £282million [$382m] last year.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in the wake of this members 'emphatically rejected unacceptable pay offers'.
She added: 'The Menzies group is posting sky-high profits and our members who contribute towards this success deserve far better from the company.'
On its website Menzies put its success down to its staff and 'non more so than ground services', which includes flight dispatchers, airside agents and controllers.
It states that they 'always do our best to deliver safe and trusted service and a world-class passenger experience for every customer, every time', adding: 'None more so than ground services, where our dedicated teams make sure that more than 250m passengers every year are ready for take-off through the delivery of a portfolio of supportive services.'
But if strike action goes ahead it could impact on a number of flights in and out of the two airports.
Last year during the peak summer months Glasgow saw on average 30,000 passengers a day go through the terminal on 240 flights.
Edinburgh, meanwhile, reported a record 15 million passengers in 2024, which it hailed as 'a milestone achieved for the first time ever at a Scottish airport'.
It announced new destinations of New York, Dubai, and Toronto, with even more routes on the timetables for this year including to Boston and Vienna.
Neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow airports were willing to comment on the latest pay dispute. But a spokesman for Edinburgh Airport stressed that Menzies was just 'one of a number' of providers of ground handing staff at Scotland's largest airport.
The latest threat of industrial actions comes a week after Unite announced wage wins for 100 North Air workers across Scottish airports, and over 140 ABM cleaners and OCS workers who assist passengers with mobility issues based at Glasgow Airport.
Last year, planned strikes at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports were also called off after workers accepted a new pay deal by employers ICTS in July.
Around 300 workers voted overwhelmingly to walk out over the busy summer months if the offer of a basic pay increase of 4 per cent, back dated to January, and a £500 one off payment was not improved.
But Unite confirmed the dispute came to an end after a pay deal worth up to 12.8 per cent was agreed.
Menzies Aviation said last night it was 'committed' to finding a solution to avoid disruption during the busiest time of the year.
Phil Lloyd, Senior Vice President UK, Menzies Aviation, said: 'Following the rejection of recent pay award proposals, we remain committed to seeking a resolution.
'We have invited Unite to return to the table to continue discussions this week and hope to reach an agreement which is workable for both the business and our employees at both Edinburgh and Glasgow. We will continue to work to pursue an agreeable solution to protect services for our airline and airport partners and their customers.'
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