Business travellers flying through London Stansted over the early May bank holiday face the prospect of lengthy delays after around 100 workers who assist passengers with disabilities voted to reject a pay offer and press ahead with four days of industrial action.
Members of the Unite union employed by outsourcing giant ABM will walk out from 3 to 6 May, a move that threatens to disrupt boarding at one of the UK’s busiest airports during the first peak holiday weekend of the season. The staff, who escort passengers on and off aircraft and through the terminal, dismissed the latest offer from their employer as substandard and said it failed to address persistent low pay.
Many of those involved earn less than the London Living Wage of £14.80 per hour, a point the union has seized upon given ABM’s financial performance. The US-listed facilities services group reported revenues of $2.2 billion (£1.73 billion) in March, a rise of 6.1 per cent on the previous year.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said the situation was “unacceptable”, adding: “ABM staff do a vital job for passengers at the airport, yet they are struggling with low pay while their employer makes huge profits. Workers at ABM continue to have Unite’s full support.”
The dispute comes against a backdrop of surging demand at the Essex airport, which is increasingly popular with cost-conscious corporate flyers thanks to its Ryanair-dominated short-haul network into European business hubs. More than 1.89 million passengers passed through the terminal in January alone, up two per cent year on year, and staff say growing passenger volumes and additional flights have left them shouldering heavier workloads without commensurate reward.
Steve Edwards, Unite’s regional officer, warned that any walkout would translate directly into delays on the tarmac. “Workers at ABM are increasingly given bigger workloads and deserve pay that reflects this,” he said. “Their employer can afford to come back with an offer workers would accept and could end this dispute easily by doing so. But until then, Unite members will strike until their voices are heard.”
With boarding processes for passengers who rely on assistance services expected to take significantly longer during the action, airlines operating out of Stansted are likely to face knock-on delays across their schedules, with business travellers advised to build additional time into itineraries or consider alternative departure points.
Planned strikes between 17 and 20 April were postponed in good faith to allow staff to ballot on a last-minute offer from the company. With that offer now rejected, the path to resolution before the bank holiday appears narrow.