Manchester Airport faces threat to reputation as cleaners vote to strike
Cleaners at Manchester Airport have voted overwhelming in support of strike action in a bid to increase their pay above the minimum wage of £7.50.
Around 146 of the 200 cleaners employed at the airport by Mitie Cleaning and Environmental services voted in favour of a strike.
Unite said they were demanding ‘a significant increase just above the living wage of £8.45’, plus an extra £1 an hour backdated to April 2016.
It follows a two-year company imposed pay freeze.
Unite regional officer Jimmy Carter said: "Keeping Britain’s third busiest airport clean is hard work, after a two year pay freeze workers have had enough.
"A 100% vote in favour of strike action should send a clear message to Mitie. It is time to negotiate or face the prospect of disruption to the smooth running of the airport, putting its reputation as the country’s best at risk."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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