Edinburgh Airport fuel tanker personnel declare holiday season strike

Employees responsible for fuel tankers at Edinburgh Airport have declared industrial action during the holiday season, stemming from a disagreement over wages. The Unite trade union stated that North Air personnel would cease work for a duration of 19 days spanning Christmas and New Year, following their refusal of a 4.5% pay raise. North Air, the company supplying refuelling services to both domestic and international carriers at Scotland’s largest airport, expressed its “disappointed” regarding the decision, while affirming its willingness to engage in discussions. Unite, conversely, charged North Air with “refusing” to resume negotiations and cautioned that the scheduled industrial action, set to commence on 18 December, could lead to disruptions for certain long-haul flights. For specific long-haul routes, such as United Airlines’ service to New York and Emirates’ to Dubai, North Air serves as the sole provider of fuel. LoganAir, an airline that manages flights connecting Edinburgh with the Scottish islands, announced its intention to maintain a complete and continuous service during the entire holiday season. According to Unite, North Air must present a better proposal to address what it describes as multiple years of salary increases that have fallen below the rate of inflation. A vote among members resulted in overwhelming support for the strike, which is slated to conclude on 6 January. Carrie Binnie, an industrial officer, issued a warning that North Air was jeopardizing “widespread travel disruption” by not engaging in negotiations to settle the disagreement. She stated: “North Air has no concern for their workers or the travelling public.”Unite has had no option but to confirm imminent industrial action.”North Air now has very limited time to resolve this dispute. The company’s belligerence is at serious risk of causing widespread travel disruption at Edinburgh airport over the festive season.” A representative for North Air commented that their proposed offer exceeded the inflation rate and had been accepted by employees at other facilities. They remarked: “We are disappointed at Unite’s decision to proceed with industrial action at Edinburgh Airport.”We successfully concluded negotiations with Unite at six other sites ahead of the annual review this summer, which has seen colleagues across the business receive a 4.5% increase in pay – significantly above current levels of inflation.”We remain open to discussion and are committed to working with all parties to minimise the impact of any strike action over the festive period.” A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport indicated that emergency plans would be implemented to reduce any potential for disruption. They further stated: “We are disappointed that the two parties cannot reach a solution and urge them to continue discussions.”We’re working with our airlines to understand their contingencies to minimise passenger disruption.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.