Leonardo workers in Edinburgh are set to walk out over pay.
More than 3,000 aerospace workers are set to walk out in strike action over pay at the defence and aerospace manufacturer Leonardo after the company refused to improve its pay offer.
Members of the Unite union have demanded that the company negotiates further and makes an improved pay offer.
The union members were furious after rejecting a pay offer of just 3.2 per cent (a real terms pay cut) from the employer.
Strikes will take place at the Edinburgh Leonardo factory on 5-6 November.
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 has had ample opportunity to do the right thing and make a decent offer that our members could have accepted. Instead they have refused and will now see the anger of our members on the picket line outside their factories. This is a dispute entirely of their making and our members will have the full support of Unite in their fight for decent pay.”
Leonardo is a 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 2024, Leonardo had revenues of nearly 18 billion euros and profits of over 1.5 billion euros.
Unite national officer for aerospace Rhys McCarthy said: “Leonardo make literally billions in profits but are trying to short-change our members whose skills and expertise they rely on. This simply isn’t acceptable and they will be making their voices heard next month when taking strike action that will see Leonardo’s factories grind to a halt. They need to come back to the negotiating table with an improved offer.”
