More than 3,000 aerospace workers at defence and helicopter manufacturer Leonardo are set to walk out in strikes after the company declined to improve its latest pay offer.
Members of Unite are demanding the employer return to negotiations with a better pay proposal, following rejection of a 3.2 % offer.
The planned industrial action is scheduled for multiple sites across the UK:
Yeovil, Luton and Basildon: 5-6 and 12-13 November
Edinburgh and Newcastle: 5-6 and 10-18 November
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham stated: “Our members are highly skilled and work on critical defence and aerospace systems yet are being short-changed by a company making billions.
“Leonardo has had ample opportunity to do the right thing and make a decent offer that our members could have accepted. Instead they have refused and will now see the anger of our members on the picket line outside their factories. This is a dispute entirely of their own making and our members will have the full support of Unite in their fight for decent pay.”
Leonardo, headquartered in Italy, is a leading manufacturer of defence-industry equipment including helicopters, aircraft, aerospace parts, electronics and cybersecurity systems.
In 2024 the company recorded revenues of nearly €18 billion and profits over €1.5 billion.
A Leonardo spokesperson said: “Our focus remains on offering a fair and competitive package to our employees and the proposed pay deal has the potential to pay employees 9.2 % over the course of the two-year pay deal, representing a package of fixed and variable pay.
“We regularly benchmark our pay and benefits against industry standards to ensure they are appropriate. While we stand by the competitiveness of our current offer, we continue to engage in open dialogue with Unite to find a constructive path forward.”
