AIRPORT workers in Scotland are to be balloted for industrial action ahead of the summer holidays after union members rejected a “miserable” pay offer.
Unite said around 300 ICTS Central Search members based at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports have rejected a basic pay increase of 4% backdated to January, and a £500 one-off payment.
The union said it now has “no option” but to move towards initiating industrial action ballots ahead of the summer holiday rush.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross in last-minute U-turn on pledge not to stand as MP
Unite said ICTS Central Search employs around 220 workers at Glasgow and 100 at Aberdeen, who deal with passengers directly in the security search areas and process them for flights.
It said the workers also cover mobile patrols, control access posts, screen all deliveries and deal with emergency services.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Workers at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports have emphatically rejected ICTS’s miserable pay offer.
“The company is extremely profitable and it can easily afford to make a far better offer to our members.
“Unite will fully back our ICTS Central Search members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
READ MORE: 'Take target off our backs': Scots urged to vote in anti-nuclear MPs
It comes after the union last week warned of potential security risks at Glasgow Airport involving ICTS Central Search workers, claiming there is under-staffing and that security staff are being denied contractual breaks.
Pat McIlvogue, Unite’s lead industrial officer for the aviation sector in Scotland, said: “ICTS Central Search workers undertake safety and security-critical tasks at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports. They deserve to be treated with respect.
“There should be a pay offer on the table which reflects the importance of their jobs. Without these workers the airports simply can’t operate.
“We now have no option but to move towards balloting around 300 members for industrial action ahead of the summer holiday rush.”
ICTS Central Search and AGS Airports have been approached for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here