Military training firm staff back strike mandate

Workers at a company which provides training to the armed forces have voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over pay.

About 100 members of staff at aerospace firm Draken have backed industrial action in Darlington and Christchurch, Dorset.

The Prospect union said it believed workers at the company were "about 8% behind the industry" in terms of pay, but a strike could be avoided if a deal was reached.

Draken said it was committed to the wellbeing of its staff and said it looked forward to "reaching a resolution" with the union.

Union members, which include aircraft technicians and engineers, voted in support of a mandate for strike action if a deal cannot be reached, with 87.5% in favour.

In addition, 89.5% supported action short of a strike.

Draken said engineers who are members of Prospect have chosen to back a work-to-rule action - which has yet to commence - but the company had not received confirmation of the strike ballot.

The company has delivered advanced training to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and has provided threat simulation training for Typhoon and F-35 Lightning pilots.

It also maintains a fleet of Falcon 20 electronic warfare aircraft to ensure the Norwegian Air Force is combat ready.

The union said a strike could be avoided if a pay deal was reached and was seeking an "urgent meeting" with Draken.

Prospect's Ian Kelly said members voted to take action because "in recent years pay has failed to keep up with industrial competitors".

"People are already voting with their feet and successfully seeking employment elsewhere, so Draken really need to consider the impact this could have on the ongoing viability of the business," he said.

"If this continues then their ability to provide vital training to UK forces will be impacted."

Alastair Balmain, head of communications at Draken, said: "We pride ourselves on being a supportive employer committed to the wellbeing of all our staff.

"We look forward to reaching a resolution that respects the requests of Prospect and their representatives, while continuing our business operations and ensuring job security for all our employees."

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