Ministers won't be 'held to ransom' by unions, says…

Ministers won't be 'held to ransom' by unions, says defence secretary at Manchester Airport

The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, visited Manchester Airport today to speak with Royal Navy personnel covering for striking Border Force workers.

The airport, meanwhile, said it had been given assurances of sufficient resource at border gates to allow a full flight schedule to operate and reported no significant delays for inbound passengers at passport control as a result of the industrial action.

Border Force workers in the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) based at a number of airports including Manchester are continuing with strike action until New Year's Eve.

Military personnel will continue to cover for striking workers at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports, as well as the Port of Newhaven. The dispute is over pay, jobs, pensions and conditions, with more strikes set to be announced in the new year. Around 1,000 members are taking part across the country.

Mr Wallace, speaking at Manchester Airport, said the Government would not be 'held to ransom' by striking public sector workers. As the wave of industrial action showed no sign of abating, he insisted there was 'no magic wand' to produce the money for above-inflation pay awards.

His warning came after new TUC general secretary Paul Nowak accused ministers of “sabotaging” efforts to resolve disputes between unions and employers. He signalled the unions could prepared to walk away from the system of independent pay review bodies for the public sector saying they were being used by the Government as “human shields”.

Mr Wallace rejected a call by Mr Nowak for ministers to get round the negotiating table. He said the Government was not prepared to ignore the pay review bodies’ recommendations and that it was now up to the unions to talk to their employers directly.

"We’re not going back to the 1970s where the trade union barons thought that they ran the government," he said. "They used to meet in Downing Street and tell the Labour government of the day what they’re going to do. We’re not going to go back to that. We’re not going to be held to ransom.

"The trade unions can negotiate, they can negotiate with their employers and try and come to a resolution. That’s the most important thing. There’s no magic wand here to come up with money that the country doesn’t have.

"Ultimately we’re in a position where we’re trying to listen to the independent advice, through the independent pay bodies, offer a settlement to the work forces and then try and bring that to a resolution, but if the trade union leadership think we’re all just going to ignore these independent bodies to suit their agenda then they’ll be mistaken."

Military personnel covering for striking public sector workers over the Christmas period will receive bonus payments after disquiet over their use as 'spare capacity', it was revealed this week.

Daily bonuses of £20 will be paid, Mr Wallace announced, as armed forces personnel were standing in for Border Force workers. As well as checking passports, more than 1,000 members of the Army, Navy and RAF have been trained to cover roles including ambulance driving.

Manchester Airport said in a statement: "Following the announcement of industrial action by UK Border Force (UKBF) staff at several UK airports - including Manchester - we have been working closely with the Home Office and others to understand the impact this will have, minimise disruption to our operation and support the safety and wellbeing of colleagues and passengers.

"We do not anticipate the need for cancellations and passengers do not need to change their travel plans, unless advised otherwise by their airline.

"There is a likelihood that waiting times at the border will be – at times – longer than usual on these days, and we will provide whatever support we can to ensure passengers' arrival back into Manchester is as smooth as possible."

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