Airport security staff and terminal technicians to walk out in July

Around 100 security officers and terminal technicians employed by Birmingham Airport will begin all out continuous strike action from 18 July.

The Birmingham Airport workers are striking after facing two years of substantial pay cuts. Three quarters of the striking Birmingham Airport workers are security officers working unsociable shift patterns for as little as £11.50 an hour. The workers say that without a significant pay rise, recruitment and retention issues at the airport will worsen. This will further the delays the airport is well known for. 

Last year, the workers received a pay rise of just 2.8 per cent when the real rate of inflation, RPI, was running at 13.8 per cent – equating to an 11 per cent pay cut. This year, they have been offered 7.75 per cent and a one off £850 payment. However, this is a further real terms pay cut as RPI inflation is still running high at 11.3 per cent. The offer would leave many workers unable to pay their bills as well as causing more staffing shortages.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Birmingham Airport has returned to profitability but expects its low paid workers to swallow a real terms pay cut after successive attacks on their wages and terms and conditions. This is completely unacceptable at a time of rising living costs. Unite’s laser-like focus on jobs, pay and conditions means these workers will receive the full unflinching support of their union as they strike for a fair pay rise.”

The strikes will severely impact Birmingham Airport’s security and terminal maintenance operations leading to delays for carriers such as TUI, EasyJet, Wizz, Ryanair, Lufthansa and Emirates.

Unite regional officer Sulinder Singh said: “The employer bears full responsibility for the disruption to passengers now facing serious security delays at Birmingham Airport. This dispute could have been resolved very early on if Birmingham Airport had put forward a pay offer that reflected the deterioration in wages its workers have experienced. There is still time for that to happen, but the airport must table a deal our members can accept.”

ENDS  

Notes to editors:

Birmingham Airport’s latest financial statements states that ‘one of our key performance indicators is Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation & Amortisation (EBITDA), which improved by 167.5% to a profit of £20.2 million’. 

Even though the airport made huge layoffs and attacked terms and conditions during the pandemic, CEO Nick Barton still received a 49 per cent pay increase, taking his wage to £595,000 per year. 

In May, for the second year running, it was revealed Birmingham Airport was the worst airport in the UK for delays. 

For media enquires ONLY contact Unite senior communications officer Ryan Fletcher on 07849 090215.

Email: [email protected]

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Unite is Britain and Ireland’s largest union with members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.