Fans heading to this summer’s World Cup and the Commonwealth Games have been warned their travel plans could be thrown into chaos as nearly 900 airport workers across Scotland are balloted for strike action in a deepening row over pay. Workers based at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports are involved in the dispute, raising the prospect of walkouts at all three of the country’s major hubs during the peak summer getaway.
Unite the union has launched a series of ballots after members rejected what it describes as “unacceptable” pay offers from companies operating across the airports, including ICTS security staff at Glasgow and Aberdeen, Edinburgh Airport Limited employees and ground handling crews at Menzies Aviation. Around 170 ICTS central search workers at Glasgow, about 70 ICTS staff at Aberdeen and hundreds of staff in various roles at Edinburgh are being asked to back industrial action.
If workers vote in favour, strikes could begin as early as late July, coinciding with school holidays and heightened demand linked to World Cup travel and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Unite has warned that any walkout would have the potential to “ground planes and passengers” at one of the busiest times of the year, and says the responsibility for disruption will lie with “extremely wealthy companies” that have failed to table reasonable deals.
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Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has accused airport companies and contractors of putting profits before people, arguing employers are in a strong financial position to improve wages and vowing the union will support members “every step of the way” in their campaign. Airport operators, meanwhile, insist they want a negotiated settlement, with Edinburgh Airport also highlighting soaring business rates and rising costs as a key pressure on finances.
With ballot results expected later this month, passengers and airlines now face weeks of uncertainty over possible strike dates and the scale of any action. Coordinated walkouts across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen could have a significant knock-on impact on domestic and international routes, particularly flights linking Scotland to the United States for the World Cup, leaving travellers watching closely for updates from airports, airlines and the union.
