Birmingham Airport faces strike ballot
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Industrial action has been threatened at Birmingham Airport by the Unite union.
The union has claimed 76.5% of its members have chosen to reject a pay offer made by the airport and will now ballot its members to vote on a strike. Unite members at the airport have not had a pay rise since 2009 and have been offered a 2.5% rise and £150 one-off payment.
Expansion and Chicago flights?
The row comes as fresh calls were made to expand the airport and the prospect of flights to Chicago were rumoured to return.
Having already launched a marketing campaign around taking passengers away from Heathrow, a group of MPs and businesses have now said the airport can act as a Midlands hub while Heathrow could handle London and the south east. The airport is already extending one of its runway to handle more long-haul flights.
It has also signed a MOU with Chicago O’Hare Airport, sparking rumours that flights between the cities could return after an 11-year absence.