Unite has won a formal union recognition agreement for some 20 tanker drivers employed by North Air at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, boosting the union’s representation of the airport’s operational workforce.
The agreement means Unite will now formally represent the drivers in negotiations covering pay, employment conditions and job security thru collective bargaining arrangements.
The tanker drivers are a vital part of Prestwick’s everyday aviation operations, providing aircraft refueling services for domestic, cargo and military flights operating thru the publicly owned Scottish airport – with North Air the provider.
The recognition agreement follows a wider deal reached in June covering over 400 workers at Prestwick Airport. The agreement means pay rises from 5.1% to 8%, an extra day of annual leave, improvements to shift allowances and better pension contributions, with the changes coming into effect from 1 April.
The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said the recognition agreement was another major victory for the union at Prestwick.
The deal was an indication of Unite’s growing strength at the airport and its ability to win better jobs, pay and conditions for its members, she said.
The deal also follows previous negotiations by Unite with North Air employes at a number of Scottish airports. In April, the union announced a separate deal on pay for more than 80 tanker drivers and airfield operators at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Kirkwall, Sumburgh and Stornoway airports. The workers have had their pay increased by 4.2% with better allowances, also backdated to April.
Unite Industrial Officer Siobhan McCready said the new recognition agreement provides a formal platform for talks on pay and broader working conditions and is a significant step forward for North Air employes at Prestwick Airport.
