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'Reverse brutal attacks on Scottish aviation sector' – union
The Unite union has urged ministers to intervene and "stop and reverse" what it describes as "brutal attacks" on aviation jobs and employment terms, as well as firms’ so-called "fire and rehire" practices.
Launched on Monday (20 July), Unite Scotland said its Save Scotland’s Airports campaign sought to "concentrate the minds of the Scottish and UK governments on the immense pressure the [country’s] civil aviation industry is under".
According to Unite, 1,500 airport and airline workers’ jobs are at risk of redundancy across several of the country’s major airports; the campaign is seeking an extension to the UK’s furlough scheme, which is currently due to end on 31 October – echoing calls from Tui for more government support.
Unite believes wider job losses could run to more than 2,300, and amount to a £90 million economic hit.
Its Scottish operation is urging its members, as well as members of the public, to contact their MSPs (members of the Scottish parliament) to support the campaign and "prevent the potential collapse of civil air transport infrastructure".
“The scale of the challenge is massive," said Unite Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty. "That’s why we need all politicians to support our campaign demands, which focus on protecting jobs and the terms and conditions of workers associated with any company receiving government support."
It follows a previous warning from Unite Scotland that Scotland’s aerospace engineering and civil aviation industries "could both be on the brink of terminal decline".
