Having averted strike action back in August 2023, the UK Civil Aviation Authority is now facing new action from its employees arising from a pay dispute.
According to trade union Prospect, it’s CAA employee members are planning on taking strike action from 20 January 2025 after having rejected a proposed 3-4% pay rise.
The industrial action is to take the form of working to rule and an overtime ban. According to Prospect, the extra hours that CAA employees work beyond those they are contracted for are essential for the industry and that by removing these extra hours it could have a noticeable impact and ultimately affect airline operations – a claim that the CAA refutes.
Prospect says that the CAA imposed a 3-4% pay offer on staff after “going through the motions of negotiating” – an offer which the union states neither kept pace with the industry nor the civil service (the CAA is a non-departmental public body).
Rachel Curley, Deputy General Secretary of Prospect, said: “Our members don’t want to take industrial action but they have been left with no choice after unacceptable tactics from the employer.
“There is still time to avoid industrial action which will be damaging for the industry.
“The CAA needs to restart good faith negotiations and come up with a fair and reasonable offer that our members can accept.”
A CAA statement said: “We continue to engage with our union colleagues and after prolonged discussions, it is disappointing that Prospect members have voted to take industrial action.
“Prospect 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.”
