IT’S swallowed up tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash since being bought by the Scottish Government for £1 in late 2013.
But five years on, Glasgow Prestwick Airport is under fresh pressure after it emerged it is still advertising jobs which fail to pay the real living wage, despite Nicola Sturgeon urging all employers to do so.
Opponents have now accused Ms Sturgeon of “rank hypocrisy” after she criticised the Ministry of Defence for paying more than 200 civilian staff less than the living wage during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday.
She said: “The MoD and all Government agencies should pay the real living wage. The Scottish Government is a real living wage employer.”
Earlier this week, SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald said it was a “disgrace that hard-working staff are being ripped off by penny-pinching bosses at the MoD”.
However an advert for “aviation ground security officers” on Prestwick’s website, which has a closing date of December 9, states they will be paid the bare minimum of £7.83 per hour – substantially less than the £9 real living wage.
This is despite a job description which insists they “must be available around the clock to cover all flight operations” and have “total flexibility”, as well as being prepared to guard VIP or military aircraft in all weathers.
It says the work is "physically challenging", with shifts starting as "early as 0400 and as late as 2359".
Scottish Labour’s Colin Smyth said the low salaries – which have previously seen staff threaten strike action – were “unacceptable”.
He said: “Prestwick Airport is owned by the SNP Government and it should ensure it pays a fair wage for a decent day’s work.
“It is rank hypocrisy for Nicola Sturgeon to say UK Government agencies should pay the living wage when it has failed to ensure Prestwick Airport does.
“No one underestimates the huge financial crisis facing the airport, but the Government have provided more than £46 million in loans to Prestwick so it is deeply disappointing that the few thousand pounds needed to pay the real living wage hasn’t been found.”
He also raised concerns over the airport cutting back on policing at a time when it is hosting an increasing number of military aircraft, adding: "The SNP Government must assure the public that the airport will be safely policed.”
Leaked board minutes from August 28 reveal police numbers at the facility were reduced in September this year.
The document added: “Police Scotland will manage the implications of the reduction in 24 hour coverage.”
It comes as Prestwick’s accounts state it is “specifically targeting new military business as a key component of its future development activities”. It is also a “diversionary airport” capable of dealing with planes experiencing security risks.
A police source said the reduction was likely down to low passenger numbers, adding: “Cops are not there to protect the premises – that’s the role of security. They are there for protecting passengers.”
The Scottish Government bought the Ayrshire site in November 2013. The airport has since been handed more than £46 million in loans despite continuing to make losses.
Its accounts say this funding will continue for the “foreseeable”, but turnover is increasing. Meanwhile, extra revenue has come from fuelling aircraft.
This is “primarily due to military activities on the back of being awarded a contract in October 2016 with the Defense Logistics Agency”, a combat support agency in the United States Department of Defense.
However both Edinburgh and Glasgow airports claim Prestwick’s public subsidy has “distorted” the market, and bosses previously admitted it would be forced to shut if asked to repay its loans.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said Prestwick was operated at arm’s length – but signalled unhappiness over its continued failure to pay the real living wage.
She said: “While this is a matter for Glasgow Prestwick Airport, we want it to continue to grow with a long-term future, and that includes taking its living wage responsibilities seriously.”
A spokeswoman for Prestwick said: “Glasgow Prestwick Airport has made a commitment to pay our employees the Scottish living wage by April 2020.
“Police Scotland determine the required level of policing needed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport.”
Police did not respond to a request for comment.
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