Unite celebrates another Glasgow Airport pay win

Unite the union has secured an improved pay deal for ICTS hold baggage screeners based at Glasgow Airport, the UK’s leading aviation trade union, confirmed today (May 30).

Up to 50 ICTS hold baggage screeners covered by the wage deal will now see their basic pay increase by 15 per cent from £10 to £11.50 per hour backdated to May. A one-off bonus of £500 will also be paid to all ICTS workers.

The latest deal follows successive increases in the basic rate of pay achieved by Unite over the course of this year from £8.95 to £11.50 per hour which is the equivalent to an increase in the basic rate of pay of 28.5 per cent.

The security agents perform a number of tasks including the x-ray screening of hold baggage, document checks and the upkeep of the baggage system.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Unite’s response to the cost of living crisis is to drive up pay and we’ve done this again at Glasgow Airport. This pay agreement with ICTS follows several increases achieved by Unite this year and means that basic pay has been lifted from £8.95 to £11.50 per hour. That’s a huge 28.5 per cent rise overall this year won for workers by Unite.

“This is another excellent deal at ICTS and one which demonstrates that Unite is delivering better jobs, terms and conditions for our members.”

Pat McIlvogue, Unite regional industrial officer, added, “In February our members at ICTS were on £8.95 per hour but through several deals we have successively increased the basic rate of pay which means that it has in effect increased by 28.5 per cent. The deal will also help retain and attract people to Glasgow Airport as passenger numbers and the volume of plane journeys significantly picks up through the coming months.”

Following Unite’s campaign at Glasgow Airport, ICTS is now a real Scottish Living Wage employer.

In April, around 120 Loganair cabin crew benefited from a £700 one-off payment along with a minimum pay increase of £1,000 from September in a total package that will see cabin crew receive an 11.2 per cent increase on basic pay over 2023.

During May, Unite also delivered a 9.1 per cent pay deal for up to 200 workers including dispatchers, allocators, airside agents and controllers at Menzies Aviation, and up to 100 workers benefited from a 10.2 per cent wage rise backdated to the beginning of May at the OCS Group at Glasgow Airport.

By Andrew Brady