Airbus UK workers postpone strike as union ballots new pay proposal

Unite national officer for aerospace Rhys McCarthy commented: “Following further negotiations with Airbus, Unite has secured an improved offer from the company. Our members will now be balloted over that offer.” He described the decision to postpone as “a gesture of goodwill.”

While details of the new proposal were not disclosed by Unite, Airbus previously told the BBC that its pay offer amounted to more than a 20% increase over three years. The UK Country Manager stated that a revised one-year deal would give non-management staff a 3.3% raise plus another 0.3% in January 2026, alongside a $3,570 (£2,644) success bonus paid in April.

Unite argued that these terms do not reflect Airbus’ profits or address rising living costs faced by workers amid inflation in the United Kingdom. The union remains committed to negotiating a settlement that accounts for inflation, recognizes worker skills, and supports timely aircraft delivery schedules.

Boeing workers in St. Louis have also been striking since August 4 over similar issues regarding pay and benefits. Represented by IAM District 837 Union—which includes more than 3,200 Boeing employees—the group is responsible for assembling advanced military jets like the F-15 and F/A-18 as well as components for commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 777X. Talks are expected to resume after Labor Day on September 1.

Airbus remains one of Britain’s largest aeronautics exporters with significant operations at Filton and Broughton where wings for A350s, A330s, and A320s are produced or tested. In total it provides around 79,000 direct or indirect jobs in the UK aerospace sector; half its suppliers are small- or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to company data; $374 million (£277 million) is spent annually on research and development within Britain; about three quarters of revenue comes from exports.

Despite potential disruption from strikes earlier this year at airports across France, Spain, Portugal—and recent actions by Air Canada flight attendants—Airbus indicated it does not expect delays in meeting its annual delivery target of approximately 820 aircraft this year after delivering 373 planes by July-end.