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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Airport staff in pre-Christmas strike | Airport staff in pre-Christmas strike |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Check-in staff, baggage handlers and cargo crew at UK airports are planning a 48-hour strike from 23 December, the Unite union says. | |
| The union said more than 1,500 workers at Swissport, the world's largest ground and cargo handler, would walk out following a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. | The union said more than 1,500 workers at Swissport, the world's largest ground and cargo handler, would walk out following a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. |
| Unite called on management to take part in "constructive talks". | Unite called on management to take part in "constructive talks". |
| It said the action, which will hit Christmas travel, was "a last resort". | It said the action, which will hit Christmas travel, was "a last resort". |
| Are we facing a Christmas of Discontent? | |
| It is unclear exactly how many airports will be affected, but airlines at Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, Newcastle, Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester airports all employ Swissport staff. | It is unclear exactly how many airports will be affected, but airlines at Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, Newcastle, Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester airports all employ Swissport staff. |
| Hand-luggage only | |
| A spokesman for MAG, owners of Manchester, Stansted, East Midlands and Bournemouth airports, said: "We are aware of this potential action and are contacting the airlines which use Swissport to understand their contingency plans to minimise any disruption were the strikes to go ahead." | |
| A spokesman for airline Ryanair said: "All of our flights to and from the UK are scheduled to operate as normal. | |
| "Should this action proceed, our flights may operate with hand-luggage only and we will update customers accordingly." | |
| A Heathrow spokesman said they expected "minimal impact for passengers" from the action. | |
| Swissport is one of several companies providing ground-staff services across the UK. | Swissport is one of several companies providing ground-staff services across the UK. |
| According to Unite, members voted by 62.5% to reject a 4.65% three-year pay deal for 2015-2017, which the union argues "barely" keeps pace with inflation. | According to Unite, members voted by 62.5% to reject a 4.65% three-year pay deal for 2015-2017, which the union argues "barely" keeps pace with inflation. |
| It said workers were also angry that "detrimental" changes to terms and conditions had been linked to the pay deal. | It said workers were also angry that "detrimental" changes to terms and conditions had been linked to the pay deal. |
| Conditions included freezing overtime payments for the foreseeable future and restructuring pay. | |
| Unite's national officer for civil air transport, Oliver Richardson, said: "Our members are only taking this industrial action as a last resort in a bid to reach a fair settlement - our members have not had a pay rise since 2014. | Unite's national officer for civil air transport, Oliver Richardson, said: "Our members are only taking this industrial action as a last resort in a bid to reach a fair settlement - our members have not had a pay rise since 2014. |
| "When you break down the headline figures - 1% in 2015, 1.25% in 2016 and 2.4% in 2017 - they are barely keeping up with inflation." | "When you break down the headline figures - 1% in 2015, 1.25% in 2016 and 2.4% in 2017 - they are barely keeping up with inflation." |
| Unite called for talks with the conciliation service Acas to resolve the dispute. | Unite called for talks with the conciliation service Acas to resolve the dispute. |
| According to its website, Swissport is the world's largest provider of ground and cargo handling services in the aviation industry. | According to its website, Swissport is the world's largest provider of ground and cargo handling services in the aviation industry. |
| It caters for about 230 million passengers and 3.9 million flights per year. | |
| About 2,000 British Airways cabin crew voted for strikes at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday in a separate dispute over pay and conditions. | |
| The action could begin after 21 December but no dates have yet been confirmed. |