Strikes at helicopter manufacturer to go ahead

Workers at one of the world's biggest defence firms have decided to go ahead with their strike action.

About 3,000 employees at Leonardo, which runs the UK's only helicopter factory in Yeovil, Somerset, will strike from 12 November after rejecting the company's latest pay offer.

Members of the Unite union have demanded the company makes a "further revised offer that is acceptable to staff in the midst of the current cost-of-living crisis".

A spokesperson from Leonardo said they were "disappointed" but would "welcome Unite back to the negotiating table in a bid to reach a resolution".

In a statement, Unite says members are "furious" after rejecting an initial pay offer of a 3.2% rise followed by a further offer of 3.6% from the employer.

They said both offers were below the RPI rate of inflation of 4.5% representing a real-terms pay cut for workers.

Leonardo, which has its headquartered in Italy, manufactures defence industry equipment including helicopters, aerospace parts, electronics and cybersecurity technology.

It has five sites across the UK in Yeovil, Luton, Basildon, Edinburgh and Newcastle.

Sharon Graham, Unite's general secretary, said: "Leonardo workers are highly skilled and work on critical defence and aerospace systems yet are being short-changed by a company making billions.

"Leonardo continues to try and penny-pinch rather than make a sensible offer workers can accept. Our members have the full support of Unite in their fight for decent pay."

A Leonardo spokesperson said strike action was now inevitable for all of its UK sites.

They said they were "obviously disappointed" the revised pay offer "has not been positively received".

"We have taken all steps possible to minimise disruption to our business and our customers," the spokesperson added.

Strikes will take place at all Leonardo factories sites on 12-13 November, with further walk-outs expected throughout the month at Edinburgh and Basildon.

Workers at the Yeovil site only will also strike from 25-28 November.