Cleaners secure a fair pay deal at airport

Cleaners working at Glasgow Airport have secured a 10 per cent pay rise, Unite the union has confirmed.

The 60 staff, employed by ABM at the Paisley transport hub, will see their basic rate of pay rise to £12.10 per hour, up from £11 per hour in the previous year.

Night shift pay will also increase to £12.90 from £11.50 an hour which is the equivalent to a 12.2 per cent rise in the shift rate.

The pay deal was overwhelmingly accepted by Unite members and represents a victory for the ABM cleaners in a long-running union campaign to have basic pay levels sustained above the Real Living Wage level.

Unite is set to launch a‘New Deal’for Scottish aviation workers ahead of the busy summer period which will focus on enhancing the jobs, pay and conditions of its members across all Scottish airports.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:“Unite has delivered another significant win at Glasgow Airport for our ABM members. This has ensured a double digit pay rise for two years running. Crucially, it delivers a pay rate for our members above the Real Living Wage. Unite does what it says on the tin, we win better jobs, pay and conditions for our members.”

The ABM cleaners were at the forefront of ensuring that Glasgow Airport was fully compliant with the safety measures and procedures put in place at the beginning and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pat McIlvogue, Unite regional industrial officer, added:“The ABM pay offer was overwhelmingly accepted by our members at Glasgow Airport. We have worked hard to ensure that the cleaners get a decent pay award year in and year out.

“The 10 per cent pay rise will give our members a boost to their pay packets and represents another success story for Unite at Glasgow Airport.”

Last year, Unite secured pay rises at a number of organisations operating within the airport campus on Inchinnan Road including Menzies, ICTS, North Air and Falck which employes 50 firefighters at the airport.

For more information see the Unite website at unitethe union.org