Unite Calls Off Strike after Reaching 2% Pay Offer

Airport workers that voted to strike just last week have now been offered a better deal in the pay dispute with airport operator BAA. Unite union is giving the new offer its backing and will give their members the chance to vote on it. Meanwhile, the impending industrial action has been suspended.

This news was announced by the union on Tuesday after hours of negotiations with the firm, which operates the Stansted, Heathrow, Southampton, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow airports. They had previously rejected a 1% pay rise offer that included a 0.5% increase on conditional changes to sick pay.

Under the new deal, airport staff, which includes firefighters, engineers and security staff, will get a 2% pay raise, a one-off payment of at least £500 and sick pay conditions will stay the same. Unite officials said that the talks were tough, but they believe the offer is fair. They will be recommending the agreement to their members, who will get to vote on it.

Now that the strike has been called off, airlines and travelers can breath again. If the action had gone ahead, it’s very likely that the 6 British airports would have been made to shutdown. This would have caused massive disruption to travelers’ plans, as well as losses for airlines, who would have had to cancel flights.

A spokesman for the BAA said that they believe the deal is fair considering the current difficult economic climate. He also note that the talks were constructive, and they apologize for the uncertainty the dispute has caused.