Airport assistance staff employed by facilities firm ABM at London Stansted have called off a four-day strike for the second time after Unite the Union said a revised pay offer is back on the table. The industrial action—originally scheduled for 3–6 May to coincide with the bank-holiday getaway—would have involved about 100 workers who provide special-assistance services to passengers with reduced mobility (PRM). Although the walkout is suspended, Stansted’s operator MAG warns of “residual disruption” while rosters are re-built and contingency labour stood down. Airlines have kept their slot schedules but easyJet and Ryanair have extended check-in deadlines by 15 minutes for flights between 3–7 May as a precaution. Corporate travel managers should advise mobility-impaired travellers to pre-book assistance and to allow extra time for security screening. The dispute centres on a below-inflation pay proposal that Unite claims would leave some staff earning just £12.10 an hour—significantly below the Real Living Wage for the East of England. ABM says the latest offer includes a pathway to £13.50 plus enhanced overtime, but workers want back-dated increases to January. For global-mobility teams the near-miss is a reminder to map dependency on ‘hidden’ airport services such as outsourced PRM support, refuelling or baggage-screening—functions that often fall outside headline airline contracts yet can ground an assignment departure. Companies that run in-house travel booking tools should ensure traveller-profile fields capture assistance needs so they can be relayed quickly to airports in the event of further industrial unrest. Looking ahead, Unite is balloting ground-handling crews at Manchester and East Midlands airports—also part of MAG—meaning the risk of summer-holiday stoppages has not disappeared.
Source: CAPA – Centre for Aviation
