Friday, July 11, 2025
As the summer travel season approaches for Scotland, Glasgow Airport is set to see serious disruption as 100 workers are set to strike. The workers, which include airport ambassadors, engineers, airside support officers, and managers, are escalating their row with the new owners of the airport over wages and conditions of work.
The strike, set to commence at 6 AM on Thursday, 24th July, and conclude at 6 AM on Saturday, 26th July, could affect tens of thousands of commuters. The impasse, orchestrated by Unite the Union, has been brought about following Glasgow Airport Ltd.’s proposal of a 4% wage rise, which the workers have declined. Although moves to re-activate talks were made, Unite insists that a new wage offer has yet to materialize, and thus the strike dates have been announced by the union.
Pay Row Escalates As Costs Rise
Unite, the workers’ union, has complained about the stagnation of wages talks. In the opinion of Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, the union had been left with no option other than to call the strike action. “Summer strike action is now inevitable unless the new owners of Glasgow Airport see sense. We’ll back our members all the way as they fight for improved jobs, wages, and conditions,” Graham stated.
The row follows after Glasgow Airport Ltd., which had a £40.65 million profit in the last financial year, put forward an offer which employees claim is too low considering the current state of the economy. AviAlliance, the subsidiary of PSP Investments, which bought AGS airports, which include Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Southampton airports, in the £1.53 billion sale earlier this year, owns the airport.
Disruption Expected For Travelers
Scotland’s major international and domestic entry point, Glasgow Airport, welcomes over 30,000 passengers through the terminal daily, particularly during the peak summer holiday season. Airlines easyJet, Ryanair, British Airways, and Jet2 all use the airport as a base, offering routes to the best holiday spots.
The planned strike action is likely to cause widespread disruptions, particularly for passengers with early or mid-morning flights. In light of the situation, travelers are urged to stay informed about their flight statuses and, if necessary, explore alternative travel routes or consider other nearby airports. Glasgow Airport management has stated that contingency plans will be activated to mitigate the effects of the strike, though it is unclear how extensive these plans will be.
Disputes With Other Airport Companies Continue
Although the industrial action at Glasgow Airport Ltd. has been the most prominent, differences with other firms doing business at the airport persist. Over 100 Swissport staff, supplying ground services like ticketing and baggage handling, are still involved in a row over rotas, work-life balance, and health and safety issues. A consultative ballot over a new offer of pay by Swissport closes on 14th July. If the offer fails, the staff will proceed to a full industrial action ballot, which could cause further inconvenience.
Unite industrial officer Pat McIlvogue has blamed Glasgow Airport Ltd for putting forward what he considers an unacceptable offer, particularly considering the corporate profitability of the business. “It’s the worst offer when the Glasgow Airport Limited is the most profitable business at the airport,” he said. “It’s theonly business which is escalating a dispute, and they seem to desire a fight more than anything, rather than trying to resolve the dispute.”
Positive Developments Elsewhere Amid these ongoing disputes, there have been a couple of heartening breakthroughs at Glasgow Airport. Unite revealed that 250 workers at ICTS, the security contractor, have agreed a 5% wage rise, ending their row. By similar token, 300 Menzies Aviation staff, which provides the ground handling, have agreed a wage settlement which ensures a minimum 4% increase for new intakes, up to 10% for better-graded workers, depending on grade. Additionally, 50 Falck airport firefighters have been awarded a 4.5% wage rise as part of their new settlement.
These successful agreements mean that disputes involving over 700 workers at Glasgow Airport have now been resolved, though the major issues with Glasgow Airport Ltd. and Swissport remain ongoing.
Glasgow Airport Ltd. Reacts To Strike Threats
In response to the planned strike, an AGS Airports spokesperson, which owns and operates Glasgow Airport, stated the union had made the wrong decision to issue the call for industrial action. As per the spokesperson, the airline had been negotiating with Unite since March and had, until that point, put forward a series of better and fair pay proposals despite a challenging operating environment.
“We have put forward a 4% offer, which is an inflation-plus wage rise,” the spokesperson explained. “In spite of negotiating agreements with 80% of our workers at AGS Airports about pay, our offer has been declined by 75 members of staff at Glasgow Airport, who, through Unite, have told us they intend to start strike action.”
The spokesperson added that the company would proceed with contingency plans to minimize disruption for airlines and passengers during the planned strike period.
The Larger Picture: Pay And Terms Of Employment At British Airports
The Glasgow Airport row forms part of a bigger trend of industrial action at airports across the whole of the UK, as workers push for better conditions and higher pay. Soaring living expenses and inflation rates, which have gone higher than wage increases in various regions, are major catalysts of these rows. As the pandemic resulted in a surge of travel demand, the UK airline industry now views labor agitation as employees push for a higher share of the revenue. As the threatened strike at Glasgow Airport looms to disrupt summer holidays, passengers and the airport itself are preparing for a difficult couple of days. Although a number of these have been settled, the current dispute between Unite and Glasgow Airport Ltd. could have major implications for the local economy as well as the holidaymakers’ travel experience. Passengers are advised to keep informed and have a fallback plan should their own flights become compromised by the industrial action. As the peak summer holiday season approaches, the case of Glasgow Airport reflects the long-standing conflict between workers and employers for equitable compensation and working practices in the airline sector.
