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"UK airport staff vote on strike"
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Birmingham airport staff vote on strike
By Christine Seib
United Kingdom - The London Times
BIRMINGHAM International Airport could lose £300,000 a day if workers follow
through with a threat to strike over Christmas to save their final-salary
pension scheme.
Four hundred workers at the airport will vote today on the strike proposals.
Peter Coulson, of Amicus, the trade union, said: “The union has spent two
years negotiating with the company to no avail.”
“Birmingham International Airport faces shutdown over Christmas unless the
company stops playing Scrooge with hundreds of staff.”
About 260 flights a day pass through the airport, although that number is
likely to go up over Christmas.
The union will announce the result of today’s vote next Saturday.
The fire service staff will be among those to stop work should the employees
decide to strike. Under Civil Aviation Authority rules, the airport cannot
operate without firefighters on duty.
Birmingham International Airport’s owners — a consortium comprising seven
West Midlands district councils and Aer Rianta, the Irish airline — want to
close the company’s final-salary pension scheme to new employees and
increase contributions for existing members by 1 per cent.
A spokeswoman for the airport said: “We’re still in negotiation and hoping
to achieve a satisfactory outcome for all involved.” She said new staff
would have access to a stakeholder pension scheme.
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