Workers at Leonardo in Luton to strike over pay
Staff at a defence and aerospace company in Luton will walk out after a dispute over pay.
Unite the union members at the Capability Green site, alongside workers at sites in Yeovil, Edinburgh Newcastle, and Basildon vote for strike action after rejecting a pay offer of 3.2 per cent (a real terms pay cut) from the employer.
Leonardo, a manufacturer of defence industry equipment, is one of the largest defence companies in the world.
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."
Leonardo is a world-leading manufacturer of defence industry equipment including helicopters, aircraft, aerospace parts, electronics and cybersecurity.
In 2024, the firm had revenues of nearly 18 billion euros and profits of over 1.5 billion euros.
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.”
The union said if Leonardo does not negotiate with them, they will serve notice for strike action to begin later in the autumn.
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.”