THOUSANDS of workers are set to walk out in strike action over pay at a "world-leading" defence and aerospace site after the company refused to improve its pay offer.
Nearly 3,000 members of the Unite union are demanding Leonardo returns to the negotiating table and makes an improved pay offer.
They voted overwhelmingly for strike action which will take place later this autumn unless Leonardo meets their demands.
But Leonardo has said they stand by the "competitiveness" of their current offer - however they are willing to "engage in open dialogue".
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Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Our members are highly skilled and work on critical defence and aerospace systems yet are being short-changed by a company making billions.
"Leonardo needs to do the right thing, return to the negotiating table and make an improved offer our members can accept. Otherwise they will see their workers on the picket line and their factories shutdown."
Workers at sites in Yeovil, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Luton and Basildon were balloted for industrial action after rejecting a pay offer of 3.2 per cent (a real terms pay cut) from the employer
All four sites returned ballots overwhelmingly in favour of taking strike action.
Leonardo is a world-leading manufacturer of defence industry equipment including helicopters, aircraft, aerospace parts, electronics and cybersecurity. Headquartered in Italy it is one of the largest defence companies in the world.
In response to the potential strike action, 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.”
In 2024, Leonardo had revenues of nearly 18 billion euros and profits of over 1.5 billion euros.
Unite regional officer Carrie Binnie said: “This strike is entirely the making of Leonardo and its refusal to improve its pay offer. And it can fix it with the stroke of a pen.
"Unite remains ready to return to negotiations but only if Leonardo management are prepared to come up with an offer worth listening to.
"Our members will not accept a real-terms pay cut for their hard work and loyalty.”
Balloting closed this week and all four sites voted for strike action.
If Leonardo does not negotiate then Unite will serve notice for strike action to begin later this autumn.
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