Liverpool Airport strike may affect flights over bank holiday weekend

A total of 80 workers from Liverpool Airport have scheduled a 36-hour strike this weekend. The strike is set to start tomorrow, 23rd August at 7pm, and conclude 25th August at 7am. Employees from aviation, engineering, and driver operations will be taking part in the walkout, as well as firefighting services and airport bird control.



Eddie Parker, the organiser of the GMB trade union which the staff are members of, has announced that Liverpool Airport failed to meet the aspirations of GMB members once the group rejected the company’s proposed, below inflation, pay offer of just 2%. It’s certainly obvious why the trade union has decided to stage a walkout at this time, and the lack of staff during these crucial bank holiday hours is scheduled to have an affect on flights.



Airport workers advised that their current salary is below inflation despite the proposed increase. They say that their management team has not offered them an alternative, leaving them with no other option but to strike. The typical goal of most employment-related strikes is to show employers how together the group are and get them to reconsider their offer in regard to the situation at hand.



This is the GMB’s first strike this century, which shows how serious the group are about the current situation. The below-inflation pay increase of 2% would mean a serious pay cut for GMB members, and it looks like they aren’t going to be taking it lying down.



EasyJet have announced that they plan to remain at full operation during the strike and advise that any easyJet passengers due to travel during the strike times keep an eye on their flight tracker for live updates. They also apologise for any inconvenience caused, despite the strike being completely out of their hands.



Anyone travelling during this time should contact their airline to see if there are any delay updates regarding their flight from or to Liverpool Airport.



Liverpool Airport have been informed by the members of the GMB that strike action will continue unless a 3.6% increase is offered. UK inflation rates recently increased from 2.4% to 2.5% for the first time since November 2017.



There are rumours that Liverpool Airport have employed outside third-party companies to take over the responsibilities of the missing staff members during the strike. However, GMB has stated that they are uncertain whether the outside parties have the necessary skills or personal fitness standards required to undertake specialist roles – such as Liverpool Airport’s firefighting service and bird control personnel.



Passengers could be severely affected if the strike goes ahead. 80 staff missing from their stations is no joke in an airport, especially one such as Liverpool Airport. The Liverpool Airport strikes are just the latest in a wave of walkouts across the travel industry – Aberdeen Airport staff also threatened a strike earlier this year, but their 3% pay offer was accepted by the workers’ union last minute, and staff didn’t need to walkout to make their point clear.