Airport Competition at all Costs is not in Workers’ or Passengers’ Interests, Says Unite

LONDON - Unite the union today (Thursday) rejected the demand from the Competition
Commission that BAA has to sell Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh
airports, in addition to the already agreed sale of Gatwick airport.

According to Unite national secretary for aviation, Steve Turner: “The
Commission has applied a narrow competition at all costs criterion to the
complex operation of our airport operations which will not deliver and does
not serve either the national transport infrastructure, the travelling public
nor the thousands of airport workers across the country.

“The report creates further and unnecessary instability in a sector
already in turmoil given the impact of the global economic downturn on
aviation. Competition at every level of the UK aviation sector has delivered
very little beyond the cheap fare, but at what price for workers and our
environment?

“The myth that this is in the public interest has to be debunked.
Passengers will not benefit when the services they depend upon for a smooth
journey are cut to the bone by new owners desperate to turn quick profits,
and we will not accept any further attack on the terms and conditions of UK
airport workers who are already experiencing some of the most aggressive
competition for services in the EU and have seen their working life made much
harder as a result.

“We will not sit back and watch the wholesale destruction of our industry
in the name of competition and the ushering in of a certain ‘race to the
bottom’ where there is no respect for workers’ interests or the quality of
services provided.”

Unite national officer Brian Boyd added: “Today’s Competition Commission
report brings uncertainty for thousands of airport workers. Who their
employer will be in the future is unclear. Unite will be challenging any
aspect of the report which does not put the welfare of UK aviation workers
first.

“The idea of either Gatwick or Stansted challenging Heathrow’s status as
an international hub airport is misconceived logistically. In these times of
economic uncertainty, the UK aviation sector and its workforce need
assurances that the future is secure. Now, more than ever, decisions made as
a result of the report, need to be the right ones.”

Unite has called for an urgent meeting with BAA on the impact of these
proposals and will be developing a fuller response in the coming weeks.

Source: Unite the Union

For further information contact Pauline Doyle on +44(0)7976-832-861 or Ciaran Naidoo on +44(0)7768-931-315