London Stansted to face travel chaos as airport workers strike

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Holidaymakers jetting off from London Stansted should brace themselves for travel chaos as strike action is expected to take place soon.

A whopping 97 per cent of ABM airport staff have voted in favour for industrial action after receiving a pay rise 'worth just a tin of beans a week to workers', according to Unite.

It works out at just one pence more on their hourly rates in the first year, and two or three pence more in the second year.

Members of the union have rejected the pay offer and many earn below the London Living Wage of £14.80 - some of the lowest paid at the airport.

Much of the company's pay rises have been a result of nationwide minimum wage increases brought in by the government, according to Unite.

Over 100 workers, including those who look after passengers with disabilities, will be participating in the strike and it is due to take place from April 17 to 20.

Staff members also argue they feel they are working under more pressure due to Stansted handling more flights and passengers.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham slammed the pay rise and said: 'This is one of the meanest so-called pay rises imaginable.

London Stansted could be hit by travel chaos as over 100 airport workers prepare to strike on April 17

'Dedicated workers will have to work for an entire week just to buy a tin of beans.

'It is beyond contempt that a profitable company such as ABM is choosing to prioritise greed and exposing its workers to a real-terms pay cut.

'Our members at ABM will be fully supported by Unite throughout this dispute.'

Meanwhile, Unite regional officer Steve Edwards added: 'Any strike action and the resulting disruption is entirely the fault of ABM for putting profits over people.

'ABM could avoid this disruption but it relies on management coming back with a realistic pay offer that reflects the hard work our members do.'

An ABM spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'We are disappointed that industrial action is to be taken given our constructive engagement with Unite the Union.

'We appreciate the dedication our team members put in every day to provide an outstanding travel experience for those with special assistance requirements.

'For that reason, we continue to negotiate in good faith with Unite the Union toward an agreement that's fair for our team members, clients, and stakeholders. It is not accurate to describe the proposal as a "pennies" increase. The offer we have proposed is a structured, staged pay increase over time, designed to provide an uplift to hourly rates.

The staff members voted in favour for the industrial action after receiving a pay rise 'worth one tin of beans'

'Our immediate priority is to limit disruption to the thousands of passengers with special assistance requirements who use our service every day at Stansted Airport.

'Through comprehensive contingency planning, we intend to continue delivering services throughout this period, with measures in place to maintain safety, operational resilience, and service continuity as far as possible.'

Holidaymakers heading to Spain may find themselves impacted by strike action too, and on the same date as Unite's.

A whopping 14 hubs in Spain and the Canary Islands will be hit by air traffic controller industrial action.

The strikes are expected to begin at midnight on April 17 and have been arranged by Union Sindical de Reguladores Aereos and Comisiones Obreras.

The action is against SAERCO, a private firm that operates many control towers at airports across the country.

Working conditions, stress and shift pattern changes have led to a point that 'aeronautical safety cannot be sustained,' according to a statement by the unions.

The action is expected to continue indefinitely.

Hubs in busy holiday destinations including La Palma, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Madrid are set to be impacted.

Various issues have been highlighted by the unions including failure to provide breaks and SAERCO cancelling previously approved holidays.

EuroWeekly reports the problems have been building up for several years.