UK airports face chaos after strike vote

http://timesofearth.com/ LONDON - Millions of airline passengers face the threat of severe disruption at the UK's largest airports during the August bank holiday weekend after members of the Unite trade union voted on Thursday for strike action. Staff working for BAA, the owner of Heathrow, Stansted, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, voted for a walkout after they rejected a 1 per cent pay offer and changes to salary and working conditions. Britain's largest trade union, which represents nearly two-thirds of BAA's workforce, said 75 per cent of members who voted had agreed to a walkout. The workers include security guards and firefighters, who have the power to close down airports because regulations require minimum levels of staffing for airport fire stations and security gates. "BAA is doing passengers a great disservice by allowing this dispute to get to this stage. We are therefore calling on BAA to return to the negotiating table with a fair offer," said Brendan Gold, Unite's national officer. The union said its officials would meet on Monday to decide dates for walkouts. Under trade union law Unite must give at least seven days' notice before staging walkouts, leaving the union with enough time to target the busy bank holiday weekend. But with the turnout representing less than half of the 6,135 union members who were balloted, both sides were holding out for an amicable resolution of the dispute. The last time BAA faced a major strike was in 2008, when a last-ditch deal over pensions led staff to suspend planned strike action. BAA said the pay offer was "reasonable" given that the group was under pressure from the consequences of the recession and the negative impact on revenues of flight cancellations because of the Icelandic volcanic ash clouds. "We regret the uncertainty this vote has already caused our passengers and airline customers. We hope that the union will engage with us quickly to conclude an agreement. Fewer than half of those people eligible to vote have done so and we do not believe this result provides a clear mandate for strike action," the airport operator said. Earlier on Thursday, David Cameron said he hoped the strike would be cancelled. "I very much hope that they don't go ahead," said the prime minister. "They will do nothing but harm. We want to demonstrate that Britain is open for business." The chances of BAA strike action coinciding with with renewed industrial unrest at British Airways are receding. BAA's largest customer remains at an impasse with Unite in its dispute over pay and conditions for cabin crew members, who have already staged 22 days of strikes this year with the support of at least 6,300 flight attendants. Willie Walsh, BA's combative chief executive, has an army of replacement staff on standby, and with the union fearing a media backlash it is unlikely to announce further action during the summer. A long-expected deal between ground staff at Heathrow airport and the nation's flag carrier appeared close to being sealed on Thursday night. The GMB and Unite unions said they had reached agreement in principle with BA regarding staffing and working arrangements and would ballot 3,000 staff with a recommendation that they accept the deal.