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Summer strike threat to airports across the UK

9 August 2010
By Paul Smith

Because the union Unite haven't screwed with the travel plans of quite enough plane passengers recently, they're about to have another crack this Thursday. While still holding British Airways over a barrel in a dispute that stretches back to the late 17th century, the union is now threatening industrial action at six airports across the country.

Unrelated airline missile dogfight (artist's impression)

The results of a ballot of more than 6,000 union members will be published on Thursday, but this time of the members are ground staff at Heathrow, Stansted, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Southampton and Glasgow airports. As always, the ballot concerns pay, and as always, at a time when the travel industry has been hurt by not only the recession but Icelandic voclanoes, keeping a job should perhaps be reward enough.

Regardless, the union has promised to take swift action should they receive the votes they need, which would invariably cause untold misery for thousands of families during the summer holidays - the six airports handle a combined total of  300,000 passengers a day.

TOPICS:   Travel

14 comments

  • klingelton
    Fucks sake. If you don't like your job and beleive you're underpaid and undervalued, get a different one.
    Reply ·
  • Mike
    Yes, klingelton, because there are thousands upon thousands of vacant jobs out there.
    Reply ·
  • SmartyPants
    @Mike well technically there are yes. Reed [the recruitment company] are currently advertising 94,000 vacancies...
    Reply ·
  • Whisky
    Unfortunately SmartyPants 92236 of those jobs are being advertised by agencies. Meaning they don't exist. However I agree with klingeltons sentiments. I am underpaid, undervalued and bored. But I have a mortgage and an expensive wife. However because I am not a socialist I understand the concept of tough. Thats not my employers problem and I am free to go get more money elsewhere. The fact there is no "elsewhere" suggests that maybe I am not actually underpaid. But I want more shiney things.
    Reply ·
  • Tarquin W.
    Whisky, get a cheaper wife.
    Reply ·
  • Shonk
    You know the trick F*ck BA im flying Cathay Pacific and would never go anywhere near BA
    Reply ·
  • Mike
    "Reed [the recruitment company] are currently advertising 94,000 vacancies…" Yes, And the banks are also lending to businesses.
    Reply ·
  • Boon K.
    Unions are useful in industries/jobs where there is a single employer in the market or only a few employers; examples that comes to mind were the coal miners, nurses, doctors, police, firefighters, and air traffic controllers. But jobs like cabin crew and pilots; there are now so many airlines that if you think your job sucks and is underpaid, then you should switch jobs to another airline. There's nothing stopping you; if BA staff really feel they are being treated like shit, they can go work for Easyjet or Ryanair f they think they're being underpaid relative to the industry.
    Reply ·
  • Matt
    @ Shonk... Read the article, it's ground staff that want to strike now... so your beloved Cathy Pacific wont be any better than BA during this strike!
    Reply ·
  • PokeHerPete
    Hey, you know what. Im not paid as much as I want in the industry Im in, but guess what, I knew how much I was being paid when I got the job and if I really don't like it, Ill look elsewhere. Sack the lot of the cunts who are for striking and give the jobs to people who actually want them and appreciate actually having one in this environment.
    Reply ·
  • canadian g.
    love the comments... Klingelton, Whisky and PokeHerPete.... you guys got it goin on lol
    Reply ·
  • Simon
    Unite again - they are a horrible bunch of people
    Reply ·
  • wtf
    Unite union leaders are all scouse wankers with their snouts in the trough anyway.
    Reply ·
  • Travel B.
    [...] it’s not the travel agencies thwarting your August, it’s the airports; as we reported earlier in the week, members of the union Unite voted for industrial action at six BAA airports – Heathrow, [...]
    Reply ·

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