Airport workers face pay cuts as flights reduced to 16 a day
Staff at Glasgow Airport have been temporarily laid off and all remaining workers hit with a 20 per cent pay cut as the Paisley hub struggles to cope with the coronavirus crisis.
Bosses at the airport told the Express that a “significant number” of its staff have been added to the UK Government’s furlough scheme, which sees people who are unable to work as a result of the outbreak paid 80 per cent of their wages.
The remaining staff, including board members and those in leadership roles, are to take a 20 per cent pay cut.
Bonuses will also be suspended. The reduced workforce and restricted operations at the airport will come into force tomorrow as the number of scheduled flights at the airport is slashed to just 16 per day,
Derek Provan, chief executive of AGS Airports, which operates the terminal, said: “We are facing extremely challenging times like all organisations.
“We have a duty of care to our staff, our business partners and to all those who use our airports.
“Int roducing temporary operating restrictions will allow us to significantly reduce the number of staff who must travel to work.
“Alongside this, we are working with our staff and their trade union representatives to ensure those employees who will be furloughed during this period will have access to the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
“We have also proposed other measures to support the business at this time including temporary pay cuts for all staff including our board and leadership team, an end to bonus payments, the option for staff to take unpaid leave and the option for reduced working hours.
“These have been difficult decisions to take, however, I am absolutely clear they will enable us to protect jobs, protect the health and well-being of our employees and ensure AGS Airports is in a strong position to aid our country’s recovery when we emerge from this crisis.”
Currently Glasgow Airport is only running eight flights in and eight flights out per day.
These flights include vital links to the Scottish islands, provided by Loganair, and a daily flight to and from London Heathrow, Dublin Airport and Schiphol Airport, in Amsterdam.
Known as hub flights, the routes are helping people return to their homes and allowing key workers to move around the UK.
The Scottish air ambulance and helicopter flights for the UK oil industry also continue to land at the airport.
The £ 75million package announced by the UK Government to repatriate tens of thousands of UK citizens who are currently stranded abroad is not likely to benefit Glasgow Airport.
It is understood those flights will be directed to large runways in London and Manchester, with Glasgow’s existing hub flights to London and Amsterdam helping Scottish nationals to complete their journey.
In normal circumstances, Glasgow Airport hosts 30 airlines, which collectively serve over 100 destinations worldwide, including Canada, the US, the Caribbean, Europe and the Gulf.
The airport is Scotland’s principal long- haul airport and welcomes more than nine million passengers per year.
These have been difficult decisions to take, however, I am absolutely clear they will protect jobs