Firefighters working for Southampton airport are to ballot to go on strike over proposed ‘adverse pension changes’, according to Unite.

The airport’s owner, AGS, is planning on closing the firefighters’ defined benefit pension scheme, despite Unite proposing changes to the scheme which would make savings of £3.5m a year, which includes reducing the employer contribution from 44 per cent to 20-21 per cent.

The proposal was rejected by AGS which then put a proposal to cut the cost rate to 17 per cent which equates to a further saving of £640,000. AGS Airports is a partnership between Ferrovial and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA), established in 2014, to acquire Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports.

Unite said that AGS’ proposals to make significant and detrimental changes to the pension scheme will adversely impact on retirement incomes, given that pensions are, in effect, deferred wages.

Unite regional officer Phil Silkstone said: “Unite has been in negotiations with AGS over a number of months to come to agreement to significantly reduce DB pension scheme costs, then at the point when an agreement was achievable AGS gave 60 days’ notice to close the DB scheme.

“Following a meeting requested by Unite to put forward a proposal to keep the DB scheme, the company’s response left our Southampton members with no other option, but to ballot our members for industrial action.

“Unite’s door is fully open to meet with the company to resolve this issue and avoid disruption to the travelling public.”

If the firefighters vote in support of striking it would mean the airport, which serves 1.8 million passengers a year would have to close while strike action takes place. In addition, the firefighters are likely to be joined by firefighters from Prospect in balloting for industrial action.

Unite’s ballot, for strike action and industrial action short of a strike, will close on Wednesday 13 July.

The ballot by the Southampton workers follows on from the decision last week that about 480 Unite members at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports were also balloting for strike action, after 98 per cent of workers rejected proposed changes to the pensions’ schemes.

A spokesperson for the airport said: “Discussions have been on-going between the company and union representatives regarding changes to the existing final salary (defined benefit) pension scheme since October 2015. We remain committed to holding further discussions with union representatives in order to reach a solution that is acceptable to all parties.

"While Unite the Union have a number of members in Southampton who are impacted by the proposed changes they have disappointingly taken the steps of only allowing the staff in the Fire Service to participate in the ballot ”

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