Festive travellers face ‘widespread disruption’ after fuel tanker drivers declare strike

Passengers flying to and from Edinburgh Airport over the festive period face “widespread travel disruption”, union leaders claim, after air fuel tanker drivers announced strike action in a dispute over pay.

The Unite union said tanker drivers employed by North Air at the airport will strike for 19 days from 5am on Dec 18 to 4.59am on Jan 6.

Carrie Binnie, the union’s industrial officer, attacked the company’s “belligerence” and claimed it was “at serious risk of causing widespread travel disruption at Edinburgh Airport over the festive season”.

North Air is the only fuel supply company covering a series of “prestigious” routes, the union said, with Ms Binnie warning the company “now has very limited time to resolve this dispute”.

Among the services it claimed could be directly impacted were United Airlines to New York and Emirates to Dubai, along with Loganair’s domestic routes to Scotland’s islands.

But this was rejected by airport insiders, who said any claims of flights being grounded were “wide of the mark”. It is understood contingency planning between North Air and airlines has taken place to mitigate this risk.

The strike action was announced after Unite members rejected a 4.5 per cent pay rise, which they complained followed years of wage increases that were below inflation. The union said they “overwhelmingly” backed strike action.

Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said: “North Air is a highly profitable company that can fully afford to make a fair offer to our members but has refused to do so. Unite will always support our members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”

Ms Binnie added: “North Air has no concern for their workers or the travelling public. Unite has had no option but to confirm imminent industrial action.”

North Air said it employs 57 people at the airport, 46 of whom are operational workers who deal with refuelling and vehicle movements and could strike.

A company spokesman said: “We are disappointed at Unite’s decision to proceed with industrial action at Edinburgh Airport.

“We successfully concluded negotiations with Unite at six other sites ahead of the annual review this summer, which has seen colleagues across the business receive a 4.5 per cent increase in pay – significantly above current levels of inflation.

“We remain open to discussion and are committed to working with all parties to minimise the impact of any strike action over the festive period.”

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “We are disappointed that the two parties cannot reach a solution and urge them to continue discussions. We’re working with our airlines to understand their contingencies to minimise passenger disruption.”