Striking workers defy the race to the bottom at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports

Philip Stott reports

• Support the strikes for fair pay and decent pensions
• Stop the bosses’ profiteering. End the race to the bottom
• Bring AGS into public ownership under democratic control

The strikes for pay and pensions justice at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports are a fight for every trade unionist and worker in Scotland and beyond.

The workers and their union, Unite, deserve our full support and 100% solidarity. They have been treated disgracefully by a profiteering employer intent on tearing up every right the unions have won in the past.

The strikes so far have proved, however, the outstanding determination of hundreds of staff pushed to breaking point. Below inflation pay rises, pay cuts in reality – and now an attempt to tear up the pension scheme the bosses agreed to in 2016 are the straw that broke the camels back.

The current pension scheme at Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton – run by AGS – is to be axed at the end of June, with staff forced onto a defined contribution scheme that ends the far better current defined benefit pension.

In truth, since AGS took over the airports there has been one attack after another on the workforce. The actions of Glasgow AGS bosses, the highest paid of which receives £277,000 a year, are a legacy of privatization.

Airport services, security, fire safety crew, maintenance, and engineering used to be government owned as BAA. But the Thatcherite privatisation programme in the 1980s saw them sold off and then eventually dismantled and sold off again as greedy corporations saw the chance to take over lucrative businesses.

Since then its been a race to the bottom in terms and conditions, jobs and pay. The union is suspicious that the removal of the pension scheme is linked to a further sell-off of the company, making it more lucrative for potential buyers and shareholders.

Yet these workers have dedicated their lives to their jobs. Many have worked at the airports for decades. And this is the thanks they get. To be treated like dirt by a brutal money-grabbing employer.

Strikers have referred time and again to the scandalous way in which they have been treated by the company But AGS got their answer when around 90% of union members voted to strike.

escalating action 

The union is ensuring the strike action is escalating in the run up to the peak summer holiday time. Workers at Glasgow are striking today, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. At Aberdeen, strikes are due Thursday and Friday.

Further dates have been added in July at Glasgow. Already the action has had a huge impact on the running of the airports.

A fortune has been spent on bringing in scabs from across Britain to replace the workers on strike days.

Yet as Unite has said, a mere £234,000 from AGS would cover the costs of the claimed increased cost to the company of maintaining the current pensions arrangements. £40,000 less than the highest paid director.

Pat McIlvogue, Unite regional industrial officer, said: “The overwhelming support for industrial action on a very high turnout shows the strength of feeling by hundreds of Unite members at Aberdeen and Glasgow Airport.

“The workforce has been treated with disregard, contempt and disrespect. The paltry pay offer on the table is an insult while the boardroom enjoys pre-tax profits of £91 million.” 

The Sunday Post newspaper reported yesterday that around 260 potential security issues were missed by the scabs being brought in by AGS on the first round of strikes at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports.

Training has been minimal and this had lead to long queues and big issues over safety as well.

Pat McIlvogue commented: “The position of Glasgow Airport in this dispute has been to spend more on contingencies than it would cost to resolve this dispute, which is economic madness We continue to have real concerns over the competence and training levels of the workers brought in from England on a contingency basis by Glasgow Airport. We want the travelling public to be safe.

“Our members have been left with no option but to defend their pension scheme and to fight for a fair pay increase.

“The industrial action will now roll into the summer holiday period with more days being added and more to follow if AGS don’t get back round the negotiating table for meaningful discussions.”

Messages of support can be sent via Facebook and Twitter via @UniteScotland.

The national TUC and STUC leaderships should call co-ordinated action for pay rises to meet the cost of living, stop attacks on pensions and jobs and end austerity. This dispute in the airports has the potential to have a major impact.

public ownership  

AGS clearly want a race to the bottom in wages and conditions in order to boost profits for the company, as is typical with big business capitalists. We demand AGS is brought into public ownership and workers’ terms and conditions are defended.

We also need to fight for socialist solutions where the major 150 companies, banks and key infrastructure such as aviation is brought under public ownership and democratically controlled and managed by the working class as a whole.