Big wins at Luton airport

Luton airport staff have won a 28 per cent pay rise as union activity in the private sector grows. Over 200 Unite members, employed as baggage handlers on check-in desks, have a 20 per cent rise backdated to 1 October 2022, with an additional 8.5 per cent from 1 February.

And that’s not all. Overtime rates are going up from time and a third to time and a half. 

The Kuwaiti-owned employer, Menzies, whose Menzies Aviation subsidiary runs services at many British airports, conceded the demands in annual pay negotiations. 

The agreement follows a 19 per cent pay rise negotiated by Unite in early January for staff at Luton Airport employed by GH London Ground handling.

Fellow Unite members employed by Menzies at Heathrow went on strike in November last year. The employer caved in in December, agreeing 9.5 per cent backdated to May 2022 and a further 1 per cent from January 2023.