Strikes At Airports Up To Christmas Will Make People Think Twice About Flying

6th December 2022

Travel across the north of Scotland is facing disruption over the festive period after staff at 11 regional airports backed industrial action in a dispute over pay. Members of Unite voted by 73.5% in favour of strike action, and by 92.8% in favour of action short of a strike.

Unite the union, which represents members across eleven airports in the HIAL group, including those working in Fire and Rescue, Security and administration, has confirmed that strike action will take place commencing at 00:01 hours and concluding at 23:59 hours on 19th December 2022; And commencing at 00:01 hours and concluding at 23:59 hours on 22nd December 2022.

Heathrow Airport
The 72-hour strike action will affect flights operated by 10 major airlines from Heathrow Terminals 2, 3 and 4, impacting holidaymakers heading abroad for a Christmas break. Around 350 members of Unite working for aviation services firm Menzies will walk out from 4am on Friday 16 December, which will lead to some flight disruption.

Airlines that are likely to be affected by the three-day strike are Air Canada, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, Air Portugal, Austrian Airlines, Qantas, Egypt Air, Aer Lingus and Finnair.

The dispute involves 350 workers employed by Menzies who were offered a lower pay deal than cargo workers employed by the company.

Cargo workers were offered a 9.5% pay increase backdated to May 2022 and a further 1% from January 2023, the union said.

"The Menzies ground handlers have been offered a flat rate increase which for all the workforce amounts to a real terms pay cut while the real inflation rate (RPI) currently stands at 14.2%," the union added.

Trains
Forthcoming 48 hour strikes which will affect the network nationally on the following dates: Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December 2022 - action by the RMT union. Friday 16 and Saturday 17 December 2022