Unite: Don’t go breaking heart of BAA
Unite the union, the UK’s largest civil aviation trade union, said today BAA should not be broken up and warned of industrial unrest if a “race to the bottom” on wage rates was a consequence.
Steve Turner, Unite’s national secretary, predicted travel chaos for passengers if it was as investment would be undermined and airport workers’ jobs put under pressure to the point where recruitment would be very difficult.
He criticised the findings of the Commons Transport Select Committee’s report “The Future of BAA” saying the MPs had failed to understand the economics of the industry. Unfettered competition would not benefit the airport workers whose pay, terms, conditions and pensions were “hardly generous now”, he stressed.
“Breaking up the seven airports would undermine the investment needed to improve services and kick-start a ‘race to the bottom’ on labour costs,” he said. “We have already seen industry pressures on ground handling staff pay as the low cost operators try to squeeze every last penny out. Smashing the BAA operations would, in our view, just accelerate that process.”
“That would be unacceptable,” he added.
Mr. Turner said the airlines seemed to have declared ‘competitive war’ on BAA but it would be counter productive.
“Squeezing the hardly generous pay for airport workers would only lead to people leaving and making it harder to recruit,” he said. “Given the necessary time to security clear and train people, it’s a recipe for travel chaos which would benefit no one.”
ENDS
For further information please contact the Unite press office on 020 7611 2550
Andrew Dodgshon
Unite Press Office
020 7611 2550
07976 832156
andrew.dodgshon@unitetheunion.com
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