Nearly 700 airport workers at Edinburgh and Glasgow have backed strike action, setting up a possible walkout during the peak summer holiday season and over the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Unite said it will announce strike dates in the coming days.
About 370 workers employed by Edinburgh Airport Limited and about 320 workers employed by ICTS and Menzies Aviation in Glasgow have voted for industrial action in separate pay disputes. The Glasgow staff affected by the dispute include ICTS workers who deal directly with passengers in the security search areas and process them for flights, placing them on the front line of any disruption.
The scale of the vote gives the union a clear mandate at Scotland’s largest airports. Unite described the result as overwhelming and said workers had been left with no other option after what it called a refusal by employers to make a fair pay offer. Sharon Graham said workers across Scotland’s largest airports had overwhelmingly backed summer strike action, and argued that the blame lay with wealthy companies choosing to boost profits before people.
The employers say they have already moved. Menzies Aviation said pay at both locations has consistently increased above inflation since the Covid pandemic, and said its current proposal again exceeds inflation and matches agreements the union has reached with other ground handlers at Edinburgh and Glasgow. It said it was disappointed that the union had progressed industrial action in an attempt to disrupt flights this summer, and added that it had robust contingency plans in place to try to keep flights operating as scheduled if action goes ahead.
Edinburgh Airport said constructive talks on pay were held with Acas on Thursday between the airport and its unions, including Unite, and said further talks are planned for early next week. AGS Airports said it was aware of the developments involving Unite, Menzies and ICTS, and said both companies continue to engage in discussions with the trade union as they work to find a resolution on the pay awards.
The dispute now sits at the point where timing matters as much as the numbers. A strike in the height of summer would be the most disruptive moment possible for two major Scottish airports, but the fact that talks are still under way means the next move is not the ballot result itself. It is whether the offer on the table changes before Unite sets the dates and the threat becomes a timetable.
