No specific timeframe has been established for the industrial action but union officials are scheduled to meet next Monday to determine the future course of action. Employees gave the strike mandate to the union, following an overwhelming vote of 2,263 to 791, to suspend work.

If the option to strike is carried out, six of the UK’s main airports could be affected. These would include Heathrow that produces much of the visitor traffic to the Caribbean region. Others to be impacted, but with less significance to the region, are Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen in Scotland, along with Southampton and Stansted in London.

A statement from BAA indicated that no flights are now affected and passengers should not be too worried at this time. The unions are required to provide a minimum of seven days notice if strike action is to be taken.

The BAA statement further argued that their offer of a conditional 1.5% pay increase is fair and reasonable because of the difficult economic climate faced by the aviation industry. BAA is urging the trade union to return to the bargaining table for more discussions and a possible agreement to avoid a disruption of airline services.

The work of BAA touches almost every aspect of daily activities at the major airports in the United Kingdom. Their responsibilities cover security, retail, strategy planning and development. BAA is owned by ADI Limited which is a consortium led by Grupo Ferrovial. As the UK’s leading airport operator, the company says that it seeks to carry-out its operations in a manner to satisfy the needs and requirements of the airlines, passengers and public.

Heathrow airport which is owned by BAA is the world’s busiest international airports and is considered to be the aviation hub of the world with over 90 airlines using their facilities as their main hub and home base. BAA is also the owner of Gatwick airport that produces weekly flights to St. Kitts & Nevis’s Robert L Bradshaw International Airport.