A recent warning has been released by unions, detailing how staff are planning on disrupting the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend for travellers at London Luton Airport as they vote for strike action.
Workers directly employed by the airport as firefighters, security guards and other positions have voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action between 7.00am on Friday May 25th through to 6.30 am on Wednesday May 30th.
Unite Regional Officer, Jeff Hodge, said;
“London Luton Airport now faces severe disruption unless management gets around the table and negotiate a fair deal which recognises the contribution workers make,” said Unite regional officer Jeff Hodge.
“Turnover at Luton Airport is up, company profits are up and passenger numbers are up. This April alone saw passenger numbers growing to 1.3 million people. That’s the 15th consecutive month of over a million passengers passing through the airport. Workers at Luton airport deserve a decent rate of pay for their work and to be treated fairly by management.”
The strikes appear to be over ‘paltry’ pay and zero hour contracts, despite ‘sky high’ pay increases for airport bosses. The highest paid director at the airport recently received a pay increase of 48%.
Unite members at Menzies Aviation, which carries out baggage handling at the airport, have also voted in favour of an upcoming strike, while Unite’s members employed by Clece Care Service Ltd, who provide assistance at the airport for passengers with reduced mobility, have too voted in agreement for industrial action regarding the ‘over use of zero hours contracts, the failure to pay at least the real Living Wage, and bullying by the station manager’.
Unite claim that their dispute concerns stems from the company’s inability to improve the current deal, which breaches the original agreement and also makes for poor working conditions,
An airport spokesman said:
“We are disappointed that Unite members have chosen this course of action and recognise the uncertainty this news will cause for our passengers.
“We are working with the 73% of staff who did not vote to strike, to mitigate the impact of any action.
“We also remain committed to continuing discussions with Unite in the interim before any such action can take place. We will keep passengers regularly updated via our website.”
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My trip may be affected by this strike, but I support it because I think workers deserve to earn a decent salary and have a stable contract for the work they put in to make the company a success. The profits should be shared fairly and there should be job security for the workers. Zero hour contracts are deeply unjust!! Management here is being greedy by refusing to pay decent salaries and give decent contracts even though the work of all the workers has led to the healthy profits that the company has earned. Pay the workers a decent salary and give them decent contracts!