Planned strikes at Airbus factories in England and Wales have been postponed after workers received an improved pay and pension offer from the company, according to Unite.
The trade union, which represents more than 3,000 aircraft fitters and engineers, had announced ten days of strikes from 2 September. Staff at the company’s Filton plant near Bristol and its Broughton site in north Wales will now be balloted on the new deal between 12 and 19 September.
Unite national officer for aerospace Rhys McCarthy said: “Following further negotiations with Airbus, Unite has secured an improved offer from the company. Our members will now be balloted over that offer. As a gesture of goodwill, all industrial action that was due to take place in September has been postponed.”
The union confirmed that if the new terms are rejected, industrial action will resume on 23 and 24 September.
Unite has argued that Airbus staff deserve a stronger settlement given the company’s profitability and order book. Airbus, which employs thousands in the UK, builds wings for all its commercial aircraft at Broughton and undertakes engineering, design, and testing work at Filton.
The dispute has drawn attention to rising tensions in the aerospace sector over wages and conditions, with unions citing cost-of-living pressures and company profits. The outcome of the September ballot will determine whether the dispute escalates further or is resolved without strike action.
