Summer strike action at Glasgow Airport avoided after pay deals reached

Summer strike action threatening to bring chaos to Glasgow Airport has been avoided after two new pay deals were reached.

Nearly 400 workers accepted the pay deal from ICTS and Menzies Aviation, lifting the threat of strike action during the World Cup and Commonwealth Games.

Around 230 ICTS workers who deal with passengers directly in the security search areas and process them for flights have backed a two-year pay deal.

Carrie Donoghue, Unite industrial officer, said the resolution “ensures that no disruption happens during the extremely busy summer period”.

Workers have secured a 5% increase in basic pay and shift allowances, backdated to January 1 with a one-off bank holiday included in the deal. In 2027, workers will receive the RPI inflation rate plus 1% on basic and shift pay, alongside a boost to terms and conditions from January 1.

Around 160 ground services crew employed by Menzies Aviation at Glasgow will receive a 4.4% increase backdated to January, and then from July 1, a minimum pay increase of 5%, rising to 11.1% for some workers. The one-year pay deal covers Menzies dispatchers, allocators, airside agents, and controllers.

The Menzies Aviation and ICTS workers previously backed industrial action after the rejection of unacceptable pay offers, accusing the companies of putting profit before people.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Hundreds of frontline workers at Glasgow airport have secured vastly improved pay deals. This is a direct result of the workers refusing to accept their employers’ pitiful pay offers and to fight for better pay, which they successfully secured after the threat of strike action.”

Strike action could still go ahead at Aberdeen Airport, despite disputes being resolved with ICTS central search and Aberdeen Airport Limited workers.

An industrial action ballot involving ICTS HBS security staff at the airport remains open and will close on June 17, following the rejection of a previous pay offer.

At Edinburgh Airport, around 370 workers employed by Edinburgh Airport Limited previously backed strike action over a pay dispute.