Holiday plans in danger as Unite threatens more strikes
Holiday plans in danger as Unite threatens more strikes
Britain’s largest trade union, Unite, has announced that its members have voted for industrial action after a pay dispute between BAA and workers at six UK airports.There are concerns that the strikes, which have been widely condemned by politicians and airline officials, may happen on the August Bank Holiday weekend. 300,000 holidaymakers per day stand to have their travel plans severely disrupted, while around 1 million have booked flights through UK airports on Bank Holiday weekend.
If the industrial action goes ahead it will be the sixth air strike this year. Members of Unite are disputing the 1 per cent pay rise they had been offered. They have called the offer “measly” and are demanding a greater increase, which they argue is justified on the grounds that they had accepted a pay freeze in 2009. Both sides have said that they are hopeful that an agreement can be reached to prevent industrial action.
Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports would have no option but to close if the strikes go ahead. This would cause the biggest disruption to British air travel since the volcanic ash cloud which caused widespread travel chaos in April this year.
Prime Minister David Cameron commented: “These sorts of strikes never achieve anything apart from damage – damage to business, damage to jobs, damage to the interests of tourists who want to come to Britain, or people who want to leave Britain and have a holiday overseas. I very much hope that they don’t go ahead.”
This story was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk.
13 August 2010
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