Staff at Aberdeen International Airport could be poised to go on strike – less than a year after industrial action that would have ruined scores of holiday plans was narrowly avoided.
AGS Airports Ltd, which owns the site at Dyce along with Glasgow and Southampton airports, has announced plans to close its final salary pension scheme to new members of staff.
Unite the union said it will consult with members at all three facilities on the possibility of a strike in protest, after AGS announced a 60-day consultation on the proposal yesterday.
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The union last night argued that the company stated that it would retain its final salary pension scheme during negotiations just three years ago.
Unite’s Pat McIlvogue said: “The move has come completely out the blue with no prior consultation or notification and has bypassed our collective negotiation framework.
“Unite will consult our members on the next steps. This will include the option of industrial action.”
Last summer, about 200 workers at Aberdeen International Airport threatened to walk out amid a pay dispute.
They argued that they were not being given the same 3% wage rise as their counterparts at Glasgow Airport.
The proposed strike was averted days before the first day of action, when AGS caved-in to demands, following more than a week of discussion and untold anxiety for those planning to fly on the dates in question.
Spells of industrial action lasting 24 hours were pencilled in for July 20, August 2 and August 16.
Flights to places like Alicante, Amsterdam, Bulgaria, Barcelona, Paris, Ibiza and various parts of the UK could all have been cast into turmoil had the action occurred.
A final salary scheme normally offers employees an income in retirement based on a proportion of their final salary, although other factors can be taken into account.
An AGS spokesman said: “We can confirm AGS Airports has opened a consultation with employees and their trade union representatives regarding the final salary pension scheme.”
