After spending nine hours in talks on Monday, BAA and the Unite union have agreed a ‘basis for settlement.’ Details of the offer are expected to be released today and the union will recommend its members accept the deal in a new ballot whose results are expected in around three weeks.

The settlement means that the threat of six UK airports – including Heathrow, Stansted, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton – being closed has now been removed.

Engineers, security personnel and firefighters had turned down a previous offer which would have meant a maximum of a 1.5% increase this year following a pay freeze in 2009. The union had been looking for a pay rise closer to 2.5%, while BAA defended its original offer as being ‘fair’ after passenger volumes had declined as a result of the volcanic ash episode and the recession.

Source: bbc.co.uk/17.08.2010