Sort out pay mess to avoid baggage handling strike next week, union
urges SAS
16th December 2009
Unite the union has today (Wednesday) said baggage handlers and
check-in staff at one of the world's busiest airports, Heathrow,
and at Aberdeen airport, will strike next week unless there is
movement on resolving a pay dispute.
The workers are employed by SAS Ground Services UK Ltd (SGS), a
wholly-owned subsidiary of SAS. A series of 48 hour strikes will
begin from 04:00 hours on Tuesday, December 22nd until 04:00 hours
on Thursday, December 24th, continuing during the same times on
Saturday, December 26th and Sunday, December 27th, 2009 and again
during the same period on Sunday, 3rd January and Monday, December
4th, 2010. The stoppages will hit travellers on Turkish,
Emirates and Thai airlines at London Heathrow and KLM, Air France,
Wideroe and Atlantic at Aberdeen.
The dispute has been forced following failure of the company to
reach agreement with the union on the 2009 pay award.
Unite is also seeking compensation for its members who have been
told that they must transfer to a new ground handling employer in
the new year with the closure of the final salary pension scheme as
SAS wishes to sell this part of its business. The union is
questioning the company's `cost-cutting' business strategy given
that vast bonuses were recently paid to the company
directors.
Kevin Hall, Unite regional industrial officer, said: "It is
deeply regrettable that our members have been forced into a
position where they have to threaten industrial action over the
Christmas and New Year period to get this company to play
fair. A strike will cause considerable disruption to the
travelling public at a very busy time of year.
"We have been trying to get this company to move on a fair wage
deal for months now. It is obscene that they can fill the
pockets of their directors yet deny workers fair wages and a decent
pension, particularly as last year the UK workforce took job losses
and pay cuts to help the company through a difficult time.
"This a slap in the face for a loyal workforce. We appeal now to
SAS to see sense, start talking and resolve this dispute."
To help the company in 2008, UK staff accepted redundancies and
a pay deal of RPI minus 2 per cent, while at Aberdeen, they took a
cut of 8 per cent in wages.
The last available figures show that in 2008, Scandinavian
Ground Services UK Ltd made a profit of £1.2 million. Four
directors received bonuses totalling £193,000 in addition to their
salaries.
ENDS
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