Airport baggage handlers vote for strikes over pay

HOLIDAYMAKERS could face a summer of chaos after baggage handlers at Britain’s main airports yesterday voted to strike following their rejection of a 2.5 per cent pay increase.

The ballot involved members of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), the largest union at Aviance, one of the two main baggage firms.

However, no strike dates have been announced and the two sides are due to meet again tomorrow. The result follows a similar vote by members of the GMB union at Aviance in May.

The firm operates at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports, plus 14 others, including Heathrow, Stansted and Luton. Airlines that may be affected include Bmi, Iberia, Air India and EasyJet.

TGWU members voted by 658 to 163 in favour of action, but Aviance said those taking part amounted to only just over half of the union’s 1,572 members at the company. Brendan Gold, a TGWU national officer, said, however: "This is a resounding vote by our members which sends a clear signal to Aviance that they must improve on the offer.

"The talks this Wednesday will now take on an added significance. Everyone is aware that aviation is a tough market, and nobody is better placed to know that than the baggage handlers and check-in staff.

"They also know that the volume of their work is increasing as the industry gets busier and passenger numbers break record levels.

"That being the case, they know a bad deal when they see one, which is why we urge Aviance to listen to their workforce and act to improve the deal on offer, and so avoid a damaging dispute."

The union said the company’s business was growing, while the profits earned by Go-Ahead, its parent company, meant a bigger rise was affordable.

The other airports involved are Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Coventry, Gatwick, Jersey, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester, Southampton and Teesside.