BAA Airport Employees to Vote on Strike Action

London Stansted could be one of the airports affected by the strike In the coming weeks, thousands of employees working across the British airport network will vote on the issue of striking. The situation is a response to proposals under which terms newly-employed workers will be unable to join the final salary scheme, starting from December 1^st.

Should the strike go ahead, the seven UK airports owned by operating group BAA could be shut down over the immediate post-Christmas period, generating fears of travel chaos over New Year.

According to Brendan Golda, a union officer, "It is clear that the pension scheme is financially sound and should be left alone”.

A BAA spokesman highlighted how the firm "regrets the union's threat of industrial action, particularly in the Christmas period, adding:”We believe the way to resolve this is through negotiation”.

British Airlines Respond to Airport Strike Threat

Initial responses have now emerged from a number of the most prominent British airlines. Budget carrier Easyjet stated its intention to liaise with BAA "to ensure contingency measures are in place to ensure our operations are not affected in the event this goes ahead".

Ryanair, the low-cost airline group, said it expected BAA to operate "an appropriate contingency plan”, should a strike go ahead. “(The strike) is entirely a matter for the BAA”, added a spokesman.

Virgin stressed the need for both sides to reach a resolve and therefore ensure passengers travelling at one of the busiest annual periods were not faced with a strike.

5,000 of the airport employees working for BAA are represented by Unite union – security staff, firefighters and admin staff among them. In particular, said the Union, the firefighting members represent virtually all firefighters working across the BAA hubs.

A firefighters strike could, by itself, dictate the closure of the airports, the union added.

The BAA airport network includes London Heathrow, London Stansted, London Gatwick, Southampton and Aberdeen.

Source – Airport International’s London Reporter