Swissport is disappointed to learn that, regardless of the result of a ballot that is currently being held, the trade unions, Unite and GMB, have already indicated their intention to take industrial action.

The unions have threatened action at Manchester, Gatwick and Stansted over the August Bank Holiday which has been designed to cause maximum disruption to holiday passengers.

This proposed action is in support of their demand for a pay increase to all employees despite the fact that Swissport is incurring heavy losses due to a 19% reduction in flight volumes this year. Swissport has avoided large scale redundancies and site closures to date.

The company has been committed to improving the conditions and benefits of all employees and recently introduced a monthly bonus scheme to reward staff for incremental revenue generation or cost reduction actions. Improved training, job qualifications and benefits packages have also been launched recently.

The aviation business is severely affected by the current recession with substantial reductions in the number of flights and major airlines announcing cost cutting measures. Swissport has made every effort to minimise the impact of the current market conditions on its employees. Any industrial action will jeopardise such efforts and threaten future prosperity of the company and jobs.

Further enquiries to Russell Ison at Batphone PR London on +44 (0)7733 106371

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Swissport International Ltd., which is owned by Ferrovial, a leading global infrastructure and service corporation based in Spain, provides ground services for over 70 million passengers and 3.5 million tonnes of cargo a year on behalf of some 650 client companies. With its workforce of around 32 000 personnel, Swissport is active at 182 airports in 38 countries on five continents, and generated consolidated operating revenue of CHF 1.9 billion (EUR 1.2 billion or USD 1.7 billion) last year. www.swissport.com / www.ferrovial.com