Employees at the Lincoln-based Leonardo site, in addition to their colleagues spanning the whole of the UK, have expressed a resounding approval for strike action to contest a pay disagreement. As members of the Unite union, these employees communicate dissatisfaction with a planned two-year pay increase of 3.2% put forward by the Italy-based company they are employed by. Their argument is that this increase does not match up to the cost of living, especially in light of escalating inflation rates. The stance Leonardo has taken has attracted critique from Unite, who argue that this profitable company is providing a pay cut in real terms. The vote in favour of strike action was broadly supported across all sites, Lincoln included. However, a specific date for the action is yet to be declared by Unite, who have instead made a call to Leonardo to reopen negotiations. In the event of unsuccessful discussions, they anticipate the strike will occur in the forthcoming Autumn season. This development mirrors the increased tensions prevalent in the aerospace industry recently, as similar disagreements arise in firms such as Airbus and Colins Aerospace.
This reporting has been adapted for The Lincoln Post from the original documented by www.bbc.com.
