Humberside Airport staff back strike action over pay dispute

Humberside Airport averaged about 200,000 passengers a year before the pandemic

Some staff at Humberside Airport have voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over pay, a union has said.

Unison said its members, including security staff, cleaners, firefighters and refuellers, had been balloted after rejecting a pay offer last month.

It said the deal would have meant workers being paid less than similar staff at other airports.

The airport said it was disappointed with the outcome of the ballot, describing the pay offer as "fair".

Unison's regional organiser Michael Parkinson said: "Staff have made it clear they're not willing to accept being paid lower than people doing the same job in airports like Manchester and Leeds Bradford.

"The employer should be looking to invest in staff, and the airport as a whole, especially after the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport."

He said 71% of their members had voted in favour of action, but no date for strikes had been set.

Mr Parkinson said the airport had a "great opportunity to develop business" and needed to invest in staff to do that.

There are daily flights from Humberside Airport to Amsterdam

A spokesperson for the airport said: "We believe the pay offer is fair and reasonable and made in the best interests of staff and the airport's future."

They said the airport employs 134 people and the numbers voting for industrial action represented "around 11% of the total workforce".

In the event of any strike action they said they would have mitigation plans in place to minimise disruption.

"We remain available for discussion with the trade union," they added.

Humberside Airport is located near the village of Kirmington, in North Lincolnshire, and runs daily flights to Amsterdam, as well as a number of seasonal routes to holiday destinations.

An average of around 200,000 passengers used the airport annually before the pandemic.