Manchester Airport workers confirm bank holiday Monday strike
action
28th August 2009
Aircraft refuel workers at Manchester Airport will take strike
action this bank holiday Monday (August 31st) and Tuesday
(September 1st) in their fight to win fair pay.
The 29 workers, all members of Unite, the UK’s largest trade
union, are employed by ASIG, the company which provides refuelling
services for 70 per cent of all aircraft at the airport. Earlier
this month, the workers voted overwhelmingly for industrial action
in a dispute over a zero per cent pay offer.
Unite met with ASIG management today (Friday) in an attempt to
settle the dispute and avoid industrial action, however the talks
were unsuccessful and strike action will now go ahead from 05:00 on
Monday, August 31st until 12.45 on Tuesday, September 1st.
Further action, in the form of an overtime ban, which is certain to
cause flight delays as it will hit the turnaround time of planes,
is planned for the following weekend.
Unite regional officer, Lawrence Chapple-Gill, said: “Despite
our every effort to persuade the employers to come back to the
negotiating table and make a fair and decent offer to avoid any
potential disruption during the peak August bank holiday weekend,
they have failed to do so and industrial action is now
inevitable.
"These workers cannot afford to accept a derisory zero percent
pay deal - they have food to put on the table and homes to run like
everyone else. They do a dangerous job and deserve a fair wage for
it, and we are determined to see that they get it."
ENDS
For further information, please contact Pauline Doyle on 07976
832 861
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