Tanker drivers employed by North Air, who deliver fuel to airlines at Edinburgh Airport (EDI), could go on strike during the upcoming holiday season.
The announcement was made by Unite, a UK aviation trade union with around 1.2 million members, on December 2, 2024. The union represents workers at North Air, who provide refueling services for domestic and international airlines flying into and out of EDI Airport.
The union said the pay disagreement relates to a 4.5% pay offer from North Air that was turned down, following years of below-inflation pay rises. Members of Unite have “overwhelmingly” supported strike action to push for a better pay deal from North Air, the union said.
“North Air is a profitable company and there is no excuse for not making an improved pay offer to our tanker drivers,” said Sharon Graham, Unite’s General Secretary. “Unite will always support our members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
According to Unite, recent discussions were held at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). However, the company has not made an “enhanced pay offer” to prevent major travel disruptions. Unite said it was now warning North Air that if there is “no movement over pay” in the next few days then it will have “no option” but to go on strike.
The union said several routes will be affected by the strike action as North Air is the only fuel supply company for both domestic and long-haul flights from EDI Airport. This means that United Airlines flights to New York, Emirates flights to Dubai, and Loganair’s domestic routes could be directly impacted.
“If strike action happens, which would cause widespread disruption over the festive season, then it’s on North Air’s heads,” Carrie Binnie, Unite’s Industrial Officer, added. “They are choosing to escalate this dispute, rather than choosing to resolve it which they could do easily. Unless the company quickly comes to its senses, we will have no option but to issue strike dates in the coming days.”
On May 28, 2024, the union introduced its “Runway to Success” campaign, which aims to enhance the jobs, pay and conditions of all workers at Scottish airports, including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. So far Unite has achieved a 12% basic pay increase for Edinburgh Airport Services workers as part of the campaign.