airports
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in transport and distribution around the world.
Alitalia workers wildcat
A wildcat strike by Alitalia employees on Tuesday forced the cancellation of at least 20 flights at Rome's Fiumicino airport and further disruptions at airports in Milan, Naples and Venice.
Alitalia said a total of 124 flights were canceled among all its operations Tuesday as a result of the wildcat strike a day earlier, as well as because of a work-to-the-rules job action, which pilots have been waging. The airline predicted some 50 flights would have to be scratched on Wednesday.
General strike over prices brings Belgium to a halt
A nationwide strike against rising prices disrupted transport, retailing and manufacturing across Belgium on Monday.
High-speed international rail services in and out of the country to France, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands were cancelled and picketing disrupted the port of Antwerp.
Workers were protesting in advance of the government's 2009 budget to demand action on inflation and the rising cost of living.
Gatwick and Stansted strikes suspended
Following intensive negotiations through the arbitration and conciliation service ACAS, Swissport have tabled a revised pay offer for baggage handlers and check-in staff.
Unite will hold a consultative ballot with its members at Swissport which will begin shortly. Therefore, the union will suspend industrial action at Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester airports pending the outcome of the ballot result.
Gatwick and Stansted airport workers set to strike
Baggage handlers and check-in staff at Gatwick and Stansted airports are to strike on Bank Holiday Monday in a row over pay.
At Gatwick, 318 Swissport workers will walk out for 24 hours, halting services at some airlines and a second strike is planned for Friday 29 August.
Aircraft machinists strike in Kansas
More than 100 striking machinists lined the streets early Monday outside the Hawker Beechcraft plant in Wichita, Kansas.
The first day of their work stoppage appeared to go smoothly in what is the first machinist strike against the company since 1984. Among the strikers was Juice Bruner, 35, a second-generation machinist who has worked at the plant for 12 years. His father worked at the plant for 42 years before retiring.
Lufthansa strike ends
Lufthansa and its main union on Friday ended a five-day strike that disrupted air traffic in Germany and highlighted the pressure for higher wages in Europe amid lofty energy and food prices.
Ver.di, the main service-sector union in Germany, said the strike would end with the beginning of the early shift Saturday.
Lufthansa workers strike in Frankfurt and Hamburg
A walkout mouse paralyzed the Monday operations of Lufthansa AG in Frankfurt and Hamburg after airline officials and unionized workers deadlocked over salary increase negotiations.
Baggage handlers and cabin crew walked out of their jobs in midnight after negotiations on a 10 percent pay increase over 12 months collapsed. The airline is offering a 6.7 percent increase in two stages.
Half a million council workers strike over pay
Local government workers across England, Northern Ireland and Wales struck for two days alongside civil servants against sub-inflation pay rises.
More than 500,000 workers were on strike on July 16 and 17, bringing disruption to schools, town halls, refuse collections and libraries throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
"This has been a fantastic response from our members," said UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis. "Local government workers have shown their anger and resentment towards this pay offer.
Unite injunction against Belfast sacked shop stewards
The Unite union has served an injunction against protesting shop stewards, threatening them with fines and imprisonment.
“Unite are trying to deny us our democratic right to peacefully protest.” – Gordon McNeill
The dispute between the sacked airport shop stewards and their union, Unite, was dramatically escalated on Tuesday afternoon.
Unite hunger striker Gordon McNeill in bad shape
Gordon McNeill is now on the fourth day of a hunger and thirst strike outside Transport House in Belfast.
His health is deteriorating rapidly and visibly. A healthy person might expect to live a week or so without food and water. Gordon suffers from a heart condition and has not recovered from the previous five day hunger and thirst strike at the start of April. He has already reached a critical stage.
Gordon has made it clear that he will refuse medical treatment if he is hospitalised.
