Prestwick Aircraft Maintenance Limited still refusing to use job retention scheme to protect workers
Prestwick Aircraft Maintenance Limited (PAML), a principal contract of Ryanair has cut its workers’ pay by 50% and is refusing to use the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – despite Scottish Government and health expert advice.
Prestwick Aircraft Maintenance Ltd carries out the heavy maintenance checks for Ryanair. It imposed a 50% pay cut on its workforce –with no meaningful consultation of the workforce or their union Prospect.
The company has now dismissed staff for refusing to take a pay cut instead of calling on the retention scheme.
PAML is also ignoring Scottish Government and expert medical advice to shut down temporarily.
Prospect is now asking members in PAML to write to the Health and Safety Executive and ask it to intervene.
Health and safety
Over the weekend (4-5 April) the Scottish Government issued further guidance for employers on social distancing and preventative closures. The key points are:
“Essential services are the fundamental services that underpin daily life and ensure the country continues to function.
“There are 13 designated Critical National Infrastructure sectors (including food production, energy and transport) but not everything and everybody within a national infrastructure sector is ‘critical’.
“Is what you do essential or material to the effort against the virus or to the wellbeing of society?
“Are you able to demonstrate and give confidence to your workforce that you can consistently practice safe social distancing and comply with ALL other standard health and safety requirements?
“If the answer to either of the above questions is no, the advice of the Chief Medical Officer on a precautionary basis is to close.”
Prospect negotiator David Avery said:
“The advice makes it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that PAML should be looking at a temporary closure on a precautionary basis.
“The HSE has also clarified its role in a statement issued on Friday with the CBI and the TUC
“While the HSE statement refers to English guidance, it applies equally in Scotland as the Health and Safety Executive is a national enforcement body.
“The guidance asks employees to report employers who are not complying to the HSE through their website.
“Prospect has written to the HSE about PAML, but we are now asking all members to do so too. The key point is that the company has remained open despite clear advice to close.
“We believe there is no evidence that the activities being undertaken by PAML on behalf of Ryanair support critical infrastructure cargo, medical and or repatriation flights.
“We are in the midst of an international crisis. The death toll is increasing every day and yet PAML seem utterly unconcerned about the risks that they are asking members to take.”
Scottish Government intervention
Following an intervention by Prospect, the Scottish Government also took the unusual step of commenting on the specific situation at PAML, confirming that they are not essential workers and should therefore be following government guidelines.
Avery pointed out that PAML is claiming that the Job Retention Scheme does not apply to aviation companies. This is not the case.
“Airports, ground handling companies, engineering firms, air navigation providers and airlines across the UK have been talking to their trade unions about furloughing some or all of the workforce. This includes the scaling back of base maintenance functions for all major UK airlines (with one exception).
“These employers have all moved to a minimum staffing position and furloughed the remainder of the workforce to protect their essential service.
“This has either been on the 80% of salary as required under the government scheme or more normally topping this up to 100%.”
Avery added that Prestwick airport agreed a deal with Prospect to furlough the majority of their workforce in this manner while remaining open and protecting wages for those furloughed.
On 27th of March, the Scottish Government granted 100% rates relief to Scottish airports, ground handling companies and Loganair.
Pay cut
PAML director, Ed Cunningham, issued a letter imposing a pay cut on the workforce on 1st of April .
So far, Prospect has:
- written to PAML twice on behalf of members refuting the change. No meaningful response has been received
- prepared a further letter for members to submit restating their objections to the change in contract terms and their refusal to accept a 50% pay cut
- written to the company formally seeking recognition for pay, hours and leave as covered by statutory recognition. If the company does not agree to this, or fails to respond the letter, we will file a formal statutory recognition request with the Central Arbitration Committee to force the company to recognise Prospect.
