Swissport staff at Ireland's Cork, Dublin and Shannon airports are to vote in late January 2023 on a 10% salary increase offered by the ground-handler.
“This will be the biggest pay increase in Swissport UK & Ireland’s history, and is a testament to your incredible hard work and commitment over a challenging summer period, with an unprecedented increase in demand for what we do,” Swissport said in a letter to the workers, adding that the offer was "also intended to reflect the increased cost of living and financial pressures that we are all facing".
The offer came after Swissport saw operations worldwide badly affected by pandemic lockdowns and travel curbs, prompting it to announce in mid-2020 it would cut hundreds of jobs in Ireland, as well as around 4,000 in the nearby UK.
Travel has been reviving in Europe since early 2022, with pent-up demand seeing numbers return by year-end to close to pre-pandemic levels, despite inflation, which has reduced consumer spending power and contributed to industrial unrest in the UK and France.