Scotland’s airports to be hit by strike chaos

By Scott MacNab, Political Correspondent
Published on Saturday 26 November 2011 12:53

A DAY of widespread strike chaos is looming, with travellers the latest group to be warned they face major disruption when two million workers walk out in a dispute over pensions.

Hospitals and schools are expected to be hit hard by the action and airlines have now been asked to cut drastically the number of passengers they fly to the UK’s busiest airports.

Thousands of non-emergency operations will be cancelled at hospitals around Scotland, and many parents expected to struggle to arrange childcare as striking teachers force many schools to close.

Public-sector workers, including firefighters, school dinner ladies, social workers, hospital cleaners and nurses, will all take part in the first nationwide strike for 25 years over changes to pension arrangements.

And passengers were warned yesterday they could face “significant disruption” at border zones as immigration and passport staff join Wednesday’s 24-hour walk-out.

Delays at Heathrow could last up to 12 hours and airlines were warned of “mass cancellations” of departing aircraft. Airport operator BAA has written to carriers suggesting a 50 per cent reduction in passenger numbers on each international flight arriving into Heathrow on Wednesday.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport, also run by BAA, said talks were under way with the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to establish the extent of the disruption ahead. He said: “Current indications suggest international arriving passengers can expect delays at passport control.”

Edinburgh also expects hold-ups and talks are taking place with border agency chiefs. “We’re anticipating some delays during the peak times for the arriving passengers at Edinburgh,” a spokes-woman said.

BAA’s Heathrow chief operating officer, Normand Boivin, has written to airlines stating BAA had “reluctantly concluded” that the UKBA would be unable to provide a contingency plan to support normal operations.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said disruption at border controls was “absolutely unavoidable” and that responsibility lay with union leaders.

He said: “The responsibility for disruption caused to the public and the economic damage that follows from that and the jobs that will be lost because of this strike lies with the union leaders who balloted while discussions were still going on and those union leaders who, on the basis of very low turn-outs in those ballots, called strikes on that basis.”

A UKBA spokesman said: “We always aim to minimise any disruption caused by the decision of unions to strike, but travellers could see longer waiting times at some ports and airports.”

The mass action has been triggered by UK government proposals to bring the public sector retirement age in line with the new state pension age of 66, rather than the current 60, by 2020.

The proposals include an increase in employee contributions of 3 per cent, as public sector pay remains frozen and with plans to link pension-pot payments to a lower rate of inflation.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg admitted the country was facing “terrible disruption” but urged a last-ditch rethink on the part of union chiefs.

“My message to the trade union bosses who are corralling their members into conflict is: let the teachers and the nurses and the doctors, and so on, let everybody take a bit of time to look at the information that we’ve provided on our government website so people can look for themselves at what we’re offering,” Mr Clegg said.

Unions have criticised the borders agency after it emerged that volunteers are being sought from across the civil service to cover for striking immigration staff.

Striking workers in Scotland are expected to picket their workplaces before thousands join a march to the Scottish Parliament.

Labour MSPs are staying away from Holyrood in a show of solidarity with the strikers. This has prompted a row with Nationalists who will be in parliament for a debate on pensions.

There will be widespread school closures, with every local authority school in the Lothians expected to be shut. Highland Council has confirmed that all schools in the region will be closed to pupils, affecting 31,000 youngsters. Schools will remain open for staff not involved in strike action.

Lecturers from Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier, Heriot-Watt and Queen Margaret universities and colleges across the Lothians will also go on strike.

Thousands of hospital operations and appointments have been cancelled next week, with nurses and other key NHS staff among 300,000 Scottish public- sector workers due to walk out.

More Scottish NHS boards have confirmed that hundreds of appointments and operations would be cancelled as a result of the disruption.

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, St John’s Hospital in Livingston and Edinburgh’s Western General will all run a Sunday service, meaning only emergency surgery and a handful of outpatient services will operate. Jackie Sansbury, head of NHS Lothian, said the health board stopped making appointments for that day some time ago.

She said: “We have planned ahead for the industrial action to make sure that, as far as possible, patients are not disrupted or inconvenienced.”

NHS Tayside’s chief operating officer, Lesley McLay, said more than 800 patient sessions have been cancelled, mostly in outpatient clinics across specialities.

NHS Highland plans to run a limited service in hospitals. It will maintain all emergency services and core clinical services, including cancer treatments, renal dialysis, and emergency mental health and maternity services.

Elaine Mead, chief executive of NHS Highland, said: “We have begun to identify exactly what will run and have started to contact patients directly to inform them if their appointment is cancelled on 30 November. We are no longer booking non-urgent appointments for that day.”

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44

Andrew.

Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 12:52 PM

Why are people striking on the St Andrews Day Bank Holiday?

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43

Miliband's British Defence League

Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 11:38 AM

36 Cagey wrote; 34 - Jimmy, I will declare my position as a private sector employer. That said the most important issue for me is fairness. ______________________________________________________ Returning your pointless question to me, WHO ELECTED YOU???? If fairness was indeed your priority or even a slight concern for you, then you would be fully aware that if you are unable to offer the tiny fully funded pensions of public service workers then you should not be employing anyone! It is clear that you are unaware that workers must not only fully fund their pensions over forty years of employment @ 6% Contributions, but the likelihood of any public service worker living to see a full return of their pension investment is almost zero. Your own post about being unable to provide an equivalent pension from a profit taking pension shark corporation investor is based on misinformation, disinformation and falsehoods.

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42

Miliband's British Defence League

Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 11:29 AM

The Hootsmon poll claims (almost) 60% of Scots don't want the Olympic London tourist Drug and terrorism advert to be anywhere in Edinburgh. How odd that the same silly comic strip has omitted that (almost) 60% of UK wants rid of new Nuclear plants? Perhaps this section should be renamed the Funnies.

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41

Leisure_suit_Larry

Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 10:33 AM

Well as far as border controls are concerned we might get through quicker as they're likely to abandon the PC - stop the Scottish grandmother - searches and actually f profile the muslims going through.

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40

Ancient Wisdom

Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 08:39 AM

I bet there's no chaos in our Scottish airports on Wednesday.

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39

Conan the Librarian

Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 01:47 AM

25. Is that the minimum wage rates of an average company director? I'd gladly accept those too...

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38

Conan the Librarian

Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 01:43 AM

Away back when, my first dabblings on the internet were on the Scotsman's comments. Then, it enabled lnks and positively encouraged paragraphs. I'm writing this normally, but I know it will end up squashed into an unreadable brick. You should have remembered the eighty percent rule....

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37

Tartancult

Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 11:32 PM

#12 Pending moderation for asking a question? What's going on here? ......Thats two questions.

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36

Cagey

Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 09:36 PM

34 - Jimmy, I will declare my position as a private sector employer. That said the most important issue for me is fairness. It is unfair that it us impossible for me to offer the same pension that the public sector offers. I can match pay, sickness (with difficulty), almost the holidays, the pension is on another planet. To say that private sector workers should pay more taxes to pay for public sector pensions which are a multiple of their own is simply wrong. This will still be the case after this settlement. Why can't they recognise this and stay quiet humbly? If the public sector were getting such a poor deal versus the private sector I would say the same.

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35

Cagey

Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 09:18 PM

Remember Gray last year being seen with protestors holding banners against the pay freeze, Labour's policy, during the budget. The only party leader in history to campaign against their own policies. You couldn't make it up.

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34

Jimmy Fae the West

Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 09:18 PM

In 1980 Gdańsk Shipyard strike led by Lech Wałęsa was funded and supported by the British Tory government of Thatcher. I think some of the nasty posters on this forum should remember that they get a Pay slip because of courageous Union strike action.

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33

Jimmy Fae the West

Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 09:09 PM

19 Mercutio puzzlingly wrote; #18 Jimmy fae the West: Your claims for the benefits of strike action(hyperbolic of course) would suggest that you are of that tendency which failing to be elected under their own colours attempt to gain influence by infiltrating others. ______________________________________________________ Is that how you view bosses?

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32

Jimmy Fae the West

Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 09:07 PM

25 Miles Perour wrote; These people who refuse to work are misguided and misinformed. They are being used by the union leaders to challenge the elected Govt. of the UK. If I can replace any of these non-workers next Wednesday, please let me know. To help the UK economy out of the mess left by Labour, I'll accept minimum wage rates. ______________________________________________________ SHAME-ON-YOU! Clearly you are prepared to fight to remove the right to vote from women and the right to free education rom children. Neither Britain, the UK nor Scotland need nor wants vile luddites such as your self who would see the poor shipped to Australia to work the lands of the rich. It took bravery to win my Lunch break but you state you would be delighted to smash that National strike for basic rights!!! EEeeeww?

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31

Jimmy Fae the West

Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 08:55 PM

OMG! First stinky-Labour trip over Devo-Max and now some are dividing again over son of Devo-Max called Devo-Plus. A buy-off inducement to the British Nationalists such as Edward Miliband, Edward Balls and Johann Lamont. All curiously, members o the shady cooperative Party of Britain. It should noted that stinking-Labour British Nationalist Party is not alone in Cooperative movement as Conservative British Nationalist Party also have a very shady Co-operative movement intent on perverting Scottish democracy!

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30

Brit-free

Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 04:58 PM

yeah, strike breaking middle class indignation ! ! .....lets shovel coal or act as stand in clippies ...or whatever it is these oiks do ...me ...? ...i also have a hossie appointment , its pretty urgent too ....i've lived long enough to know that what will be , will be .......she'll be coming round the mountain when she comes ...industrial action permitting , ....dont worry its my Doris Day medley

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