4 December 2025
RAF F-35B Lightning in the Scottish Borders. BAE is a principal contractor for the US-built aircraft, which will replace the Eurofighter Typhoon. Photo Walter Baxter via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Aerospace engineers in two BAE plants in Lancashire are in dispute over pay. The company is resisting, turning to law in the face of strikes rather than negotiate. Their union, Unite, has announced further action.
Workers at BAE Warton and BAE Salmesbury rejected a pay offer of 3.6 per cent. This is below the rate of inflation and is less than agreed for other areas of the company. As a result, over 5,000 Unite members voted in support of strike action.
The union planned a strike by 400 workers in key areas from 5 to 25 November. In response the company sought a legal injunction on 4 November to invalidate the ballot. The High Court refused the request.
No goodwill
Following that court decision, Unite said that BAE had further undermined workers’ goodwill and announced strikes in further areas running from 25 November to 17 December. On 4 December Unite announced that about 160 workers in safety critical roles will be on strike until at least 24 December. And others will be taking action short of strikes.
The union says that managers have tried to fill the roles of the experienced workers on strike. But it claims the action will severely affect production at the two sites.
Profitable
BAE is a hugely profitable and important multinational company operating in the aerospace and defence sectors. The workers on strike say that it can afford to pay them for their skills which have contributed to its ability to pay £11 million to the CEO and £1.5 billion in dividends.
Production of the Typhoon fighter at Warton came to an end this year, leading to a loss of skill and experience. Unite blames this on shortsighted government procurement policies.