Flights to Scotland warning as Edinburgh Airport staff hit back
Unite selected 275 staff at Edinburgh Airport, including members from security, terminal operations and search areas.
The union has confirmed that 85% of members supported the strike with a turnout of 75% and is now urging airport bosses to get back to the table with an improved wage offer to avoid disruption during the summer season.
Airport bosses said they thought their previous offer of an 11% pay rise, along with a £1,000 living cost payment, was “fair and competitive”.
Unite claimed the deal was worse than the deal with workers at Gatwick, where workers received a 12% raise plus a one-off cash payment of £1,500.
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An Edinburgh Airport spokesman questioned the Gatwick comparison, saying Scottish workers would receive a “third pay rise” since 2020, compared to the first increase for London workers in the same period.
But Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite members at Edinburgh Airport have strongly supported strike action. The salary offer on the table is nowhere near good enough and airport bosses know it.
“A realistic salary offer must be presented that gives our members the same value as our members at Gatwick Airport.
“Unite will always support our members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
The union previously claimed that members’ wages at Edinburgh Airport had been cut by around 10% in real terms over the past seven years and said workers were “ready to fight for a better deal”.
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “This is a disappointing decision by Unite, particularly after meeting our unions’ demands – a pay rise of 11% together with a £1,000 living allowance.” We gave staff an improved Made an offer and suggested a 50% increase in the cost of living. This has not yet been voted on.
“Unite insists on comparing this offer to Gatwick’s, but the important context missing from this Unite-driven comparison is that this 11 per cent increase at Edinburgh Airport would be the third pay rise for the team since 2020, what overall represents a pay increase.” Increase of 19.6%. By contrast, this is Gatwick’s first offering in the same period – a point Unite is purposely ignoring.
“We have proposed a deal well above what many other workers in Scotland have been offered and well above inflation. We still have serious concerns about the integrity of the original ballot and the number of members who voted – concerns that Unite failed to address.
“We have made every effort to avert labor disputes and agree a well-deserved raise for all of our hard-working employees, not just the minority who are Unite members. We remain open to good faith negotiations with our unions and have agreed to participate in future talks.”
