Birmingham Airport facing 'severe' disruption as workers set to take industrial action

While air traffic controllers at the airport have also voted in favour of 'industrial action short of a strike'.

Unite the Union said the all out continuous strike action will take place from July 18, while Prospect members working in air traffic control will commence their action a day later.

Unite said its members were striking after facing two years of substantial pay cuts.

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

It will hit the peak travel season and coincide with the summer holidays, which could cause severe disruption for travellers.

It comes after Birmingham Airport was revealed to be the worst airport in the UK for delays for the second year running.

Three quarters of the striking workers, who are members of Unite, are security officers.

The union says they are 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 cause delays at the airport.

The union pointed out that 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.

But the union says this is a further real terms pay cut as RPI inflation is still running high at 11.3 per cent and the offer would leave many workers unable to pay their bills as well as causing more staffing shortages.

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.”

Meanwhile, 94 per cent of Prospect members working in air traffic control at Birmingham Airport Air Traffic Ltd (BAATL) voted in favour of industrial action short of a strike.

The union said the action over a pay dispute may cause disruption to the operation of the airport.

Prospect national secretary Steve Jary said: “Our members do not want to take industrial action, but they have been left with no choice after their pay has failed to keep up with the cost of living over the last few years.

“Air traffic control is a highly skilled, stressful area to work in and it is essential to the safe and efficient operation of any airport. Our members deserve to be paid properly for the job they do.

“Currently the smooth operation of Birmingham Airport is only possible because of the goodwill of our members. If a revised pay offer is not forthcoming, then air traffic controllers will simply vote with their feet and find better paid jobs elsewhere."

A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said: “We note the union is threatening industrial from July 19 - despite our current pay offer being well above the current UK average.

“The union’s call for action is surprising as it breaches the terms of the bargaining agreement, which lays out the steps for resolving such disputes. We call on the union to honour the terms of the existing bargaining agreement.

“We are confident, however, that the impact of any strike action will be limited, and our advice to customers remains to arrive at the airport in line with guidance from their airline.”