5th Feb 2025 14:27
(Alliance News) - Aviation regulator workers in the UK are escalating industrial action over pay with a new joint strike.
Members of the Public & Commercial Services union, PCS, and Prospect working for the Civil Aviation Authority, CAA, will walk out on Thursday in a long running dispute.
The unions said around 450 workers are expected to strike and take part in an overtime ban.
PCS members at the CAA previously walked out on January 16 and 17 after rejecting an imposed pay rise.
The PCS said its members had received years of below-inflation pay rises, and had rejected an offer that would see some of them get 3%.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: "Our members at the CAA are sick and tired of being undervalued. The rushed imposition of a pay offer has only added fuel to the fire.
"If the CAA refuses to make an acceptable pay offer in line with what we've seen elsewhere in the aviation sector, then more joint strike days will follow."
Rachel Curley, deputy general secretary of Prospect, said: "Despite our ongoing industrial action the CAA has still not come to the table with an offer our members can accept, so we have no choice but to escalate to the strike.
"This is not an issue that is going to just go away and if it continues it will start to impact airlines, causing delays to planned upgrades with a knock-on effect felt by passengers."
The CAA has been contacted for a comment. It said previous industrial action did not affect its operations.
A spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: "We continue to engage with our union colleagues, and after prolonged discussions it is disappointing that union members are taking industrial action tomorrow.
"Union members make up around one in five of our employees and we do not anticipate any disruption to the aviation sector, or any impact on our regulatory oversight activities or other safety-critical work, as a result of this action."
The CAA said its pay offer had been "fair", reflecting the broader economic context and the financial sustainability of the organisation, including the revenue it received in charges from the industry and the government's public sector pay policy.
By Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Press Association: Finance
source: PA
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