Passengers using Birmingham Airport fromTuesday (18 July) have been urged to check arrival times and follow advice on minimising delays at security after the union Unite confirmed continuous strike action by some staff will go ahead.
The airport said it is disappointed security guards and terminal technicians haven’t accepted a revised pay offer made last week, adding Unite has been unwilling to postpone strike action ahead of mediation.
Unite said around 150 workers will begin all out continuous strike action from 18 July.
The union said an offer to increase the hourly rate of security guards from £11.30 to £12.49 ‘did not reflect the financial strain our members are under, nor would it have solved the staffing shortages at the airport’.
Regional Officer Sulinder Singh said: “The anger over low pay is such that the number of striking workers has increased to 150 and is growing by the day.”
The airport said: “To minimise potential disruption caused by the strike action, Birmingham Airport is acting immediately, together with its airline partners, to limit the impact on holidaymakers.
“All customers are being asked to closely follow advice from their airlines on arrival times at the airport.
“In addition, we are asking customers to put as much hand luggage as possible into the aircraft hold to limit the volume of items subject to pre-flight security checks and so minimise delays.
“Should strike action continue through the summer, Birmingham Airport will act to ensure disruption is minimised so customers can still enjoy their well-earned summer holidays.
“It is regrettable that we have reached this position, and we remain committed to resolving this dispute and avoid inflicting damaging strike action on Birmingham Airport customers.
“We would urge union members to reconsider their position and continue the collective effort from all colleagues in helping the airport recover from the pandemic and giving customers consistently great service.”
TUI said it has put measures in place to minimise disruption for its customers as much as possible.
“We would like to reassure our customers that we are working with the airport on contingency plans to make their journey through the airport as smooth as possible,” the airline said.
“We will be in touch directly with our customers with any further information about their flight as soon as possible.”
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The airport said it is disappointed security guards and terminal technicians haven’t accepted a revised pay offer made last week, adding Unite has been unwilling to postpone strike action ahead of mediation.
Unite said around 150 workers will begin all out continuous strike action from 18 July.
The union said an offer to increase the hourly rate of security guards from £11.30 to £12.49 ‘did not reflect the financial strain our members are under, nor would it have solved the staffing shortages at the airport’.
Regional Officer Sulinder Singh said: “The anger over low pay is such that the number of striking workers has increased to 150 and is growing by the day.”
The airport said: “To minimise potential disruption caused by the strike action, Birmingham Airport is acting immediately, together with its airline partners, to limit the impact on holidaymakers.
“All customers are being asked to closely follow advice from their airlines on arrival times at the airport.
“In addition, we are asking customers to put as much hand luggage as possible into the aircraft hold to limit the volume of items subject to pre-flight security checks and so minimise delays.
“Should strike action continue through the summer, Birmingham Airport will act to ensure disruption is minimised so customers can still enjoy their well-earned summer holidays.
“It is regrettable that we have reached this position, and we remain committed to resolving this dispute and avoid inflicting damaging strike action on Birmingham Airport customers.
“We would urge union members to reconsider their position and continue the collective effort from all colleagues in helping the airport recover from the pandemic and giving customers consistently great service.”
TUI said it has put measures in place to minimise disruption for its customers as much as possible.
“We would like to reassure our customers that we are working with the airport on contingency plans to make their journey through the airport as smooth as possible,” the airline said.
“We will be in touch directly with our customers with any further information about their flight as soon as possible.”
The post Birmingham Airport updates advice to travellers ahead of planned strikes appeared first on Travel Gossip.
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