[A-List] UK labour militancy: airport workers

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Airports face six days of strike chaos
Firefighters, security guards and support staff in dispute over pay

MICHAEL SETTLE
The Herald, 12 November 2002

MILLIONS of air travellers face Christmas chaos after a trade union last
night announced six one-day strikes at several of Britain's main airports.

The industrial action, over pay, is likely to cause widespread disruption to
people's travel plans up to and over the holidays as the strikes will occur
simultaneously for maximum effect.

Firefighters, security guards, and operational support staff at the British
Airport Authority's (BAA) seven airports - Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen,
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Southampton - will begin their action on
November 28.

The other strike days will be: December 2, 10, 15, and 23 as well as January
2, 2003. It is estimated up to 400,000 travellers each day will have their
journeys disrupted. All strikes will begin at 6am.

The airport firefighters are not members of the national Fire Brigades Union
and so the airport strikes will not be related to any industrial action
taken by the FBU.

However, three of the airport strike dates could coincide with planned FBU
action. Two strike dates in particular - December 23 and January 2 - are
likely to prove the most disruptive as they are among the busiest in the
aviation calendar.

Airlines were last night studying the impact the strikes would have on
passengers who had already purchased tickets for the days targeted for
action.

A spokesman for British Airways said it was too early to provide useful
advice.

He said: "We are working through all the scenarios. It depends on the exact
nature of the strike action. That has not yet been clarified. We don't know
if there will be 24-hour stoppages, 12 hours, or two hours, or if there will
only be fire stoppages or security stoppages as well." Further details of
advice to passengers are expected in the near future.

Tim Lyle, national secretary for aviation at the Transport and General
Workers' Union, insisted all the airports affected would close on strike
days because of a lack of fire cover.

"The strikes will be organised on the basis that each and every airport will
strike simultaneously," he confirmed.

Mr Lyle pointed out workers felt frustrated at BAA's pay offer given their
increased workloads and responsibilities following the September 11 terror
attacks.

He said he hoped the strikes could be avoided, claiming the authority could
afford to increase its offer after making big profits this year.

The TGWU argues the offer is worth just 1.7% from April this year, plus
£150, followed by a further £150 in January, then a rise of inflation plus
1% from next April. Last week, about 2500 BAA staff supported strike action
by a margin of two to one.

Declaring 1.7% was "hardly fair", a union spokesman said: "People accepted
the second year of the offer is reasonably okay but that's not taking into
account the pressures our members are under.

"Given the increasing profits BAA is making, plus heightened security
checks, levels of stress, and responsibility falling on our staff, we
deserve more than that," he added.

The TGWU insists the ball is now firmly in the management's court. BAA, by
contrast, insists the pay offer amounts to 6.3% over two years. It argues
the offer is reasonable given the present economic difficulties facing the
aviation industry.

Last night, the authority said it was disappointed the TGWU had called
strikes and announced it was seeking the help of the conciliation service
Acas to try to settle the dispute.

Tony Ward, BAA's group service director, said: "Our terms of employment are
highly competitive and our pay offer is well above the rate of inflation. It
is better than an offer the union representatives originally recommended to
their members."

He added: "We will now develop specific contingency plans and will keep
national government fully informed."

Meanwhile, Prospect, the air traffic controllers' union, is expected to
ballot its members on industrial action in protest at bonuses paid to two
executives, payments described as a "huge slap in the face" to air traffic
controllers by a Labour MP yesterday.

Bill Semple and Colin Chisholm are said to have received bonuses of £215,000
and £62,000.

A walkout could cause havoc at airports across the country and lead to huge
delays in flights already threatened with the TGWU action.

A National Air Traffic Services spokesman said: "At a time when the industry
is struggling to recover from the worst downturn in decades, any such action
would only serve to damage our customers, our business, and reputation.

"We believe that, once the union membership understands the basis on which
these payments were made, they will realise that such action, as they
contemplate, is wholly unjustified."

Martin Salter, Labour MP for Reading West, a long-standing critic of the
part-privatisation of the air traffic service, said there was no
justification for the payments.

He told the BBC: "I find it appalling that people like Bill Semple and Colin
Chisholm, the very people that were writing to me and other opponents of the
privatisation of National Air Traffic Services . . . are now lining their
pockets.

"They've joined the ranks of the privatised fat cats at a time when the
organisation has got severe financial problems.

"It has already gone to the government with a begging bowl for another
£500m."

Mr Salter added: "The one factor that is the hallmark of all privatisations
is that you see management put huge pressure on the staff to cut costs while
at the same time lining their own pockets.

"We saw it with gas, we saw it with electricity and we're now seeing it with
air traffic control."

There was further trouble yesterday as magistrates' court staff went on
strike for the first time in their 800-year history.

Between 300 and 400 workers in the West Midlands are thought to have taken
official strike action - the first since the courts were set up by Richard I
in 1195.

Members of AMO, the staff union, are angry at the results of a pay
harmonisation scheme that led to about a quarter of workers facing wage
cuts.
Action dates
The strikes have been called for November 28, December 2, 10, 15, 23 and
January 2.

The action will affect BAA's seven airports: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen,
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Southampton.