Pay deal struck to end airport industrial action

Industrial action at Norwich Airport has ended after air traffic control staff voted to accept a pay offer.

The airport said it was informed by the union Prospect that its members had voted to accept the latest offer.

A spokesperson for Norwich Airport said: "The airport welcomes the outcome and is pleased an agreement has been reached following constructive discussions with the union."

Prospect national secretary for aviation, David Avery, said: "While we are pleased that a resolution was eventually found, it was disappointing that members were forced to take industrial action in order to secure it."

Flights were cancelled in August as a result of the industrial action, with some holidaymakers having to be driven 86 miles (138km) by coach to London Stansted Airport.

Various flights were impacted, including ones scheduled for Amsterdam and Alicante.

Prospect had previously said disruption had already been "occurring regularly even when industrial action is not taking place and is caused by a chronic shortage of personnel".

The pay dispute was over what Prospect members said was "significantly less [pay] than the UK market rate and substandard maternity and paternity cover". They had demanded the airport make improvements.

Avery added: "This episode has underlined the vital importance of our members to Norwich Airport, and we trust that in the future management will work with us to resolve issues earlier without the need for industrial action."

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