The Civil Aviation Authority claims planned industrial action on 20 January by a fifth of its employees won’t affect passengers.
Members of the Prospect union have announced a work-to-rule and an overtime ban after rejecting a 3% to 4% pay rise from the CAA.
In a statement, Prospect said “The extra hours that CAA members work beyond those they are contracted for are essential for the aviation sector.
“Removing these extra hours could have an impact on the industry and ultimately affect passengers.”
Prospect claims the CAA is so understaffed that its 360 members who work there put in a ‘significant’ amount of unpaid overtime. It suggested that removing that work over a ‘prolonged period’ could lead to the CAA’s non safety critical work taking longer.
However, the CAA said it did not anticipate any disruption to the aviation sector, or any impact on its regulatory oversight activities or other safety critical work as a result of the industrial action.
It added: “We continue to engage with our union colleagues and after prolonged discussions, it is disappointing that Prospect members have voted to take industrial action.”
If the industrial action goes ahead, it will be the first in 40 years by Prospect members.
The CAA averted a strike in August 2023 after making staff an improved pay offer.
