John Culatto
A STRIKE by Met Office workers closed down Gibraltar airport on Wednesday, diverting all UK flights to Malaga and cancelling all departures from the Rock.
Passengers had to suffer the consequences of the pay dispute with lengthy delays as they cleared customs in the nearby airport of Malaga.
Three flights in total landed in Malaga on Wednesday morning with two other flights to Gibraltar from UK cancelled in the afternoon.
Flight operators Easyjet and British Airways cancelled all flights to London and Manchester.
Gibraltar’s government said that it was ‘extremely disappointed’ the airport could not function due to the strike.
It told the GBC that the last time this happened it sent staff from the UK to make sure the airport was still open for business.
But this time, the Met Office said it was not able to provide cover for the striking staff.
The Ministry of Defence said it was hoping that Met Office workers would choose not to strike.
It said it was unable to run flights without the Met Office guaranteeing the safety of passengers.
The strike was in coordination with UK counterparts that were striking across the country.
The Prospect union that represents them said that staff at the ‘vital service’ had not get a pay rise since April 2020.
“The government has shown contempt to Met Office staff by failing to reward them for what they do,” Prospect’s Harry Mooney said.
The union complained that inflation was making life difficult for its workers.
Although the weather people would not hold a full service it would continue to provide information that was critical to life.
The Met Office will hold a further strike on June 7 if its demands are not met.
ALSO READ:
- Gibraltar blames UK military for two day airport shutdown that forced flights to go to Malaga
- Gibraltar government slams military for closing down the airfield at short notice, diverting flights
- Gibraltar government secures limited use of airport crossing as tunnel opens under the runway
