Nick Barton’s annual wage jumped from £399,000 to £595,000 according to local reports. However, Birmingham Airport laid off 43 percent of its staff during the coronavirus pandemic, when the business was forced to virtually shut down.
Birmingham Airport received £12.8million of public money from the Government to support it during Covid.
Jane Nellist, president of Coventry Trade Union Council, said the pay was “absolutely disgraceful”.
Ms Nellist said Mr Barton’s pay rise would make “millions of workers angry”.
She also said it was “yet another example of workers being told to tighten their belts, while the fat cats take the cream”.
The union president added with inflation rising, workers were equally in need of better pay, saying: “If they want a pay rise it should be equal – we should all get a pay rise.”
Airport board member John McNicholas disagreed and told the BBC it was “paying the appropriate rate” for Mr Burton.
Mr McNicholas, who also sits on Coventry City Council, described Mr Barton as “a very dynamic person, full of great ideas” and as “someone absolutely perfect for Birmingham Airport”.
He said: “It is paying the appropriate rate and while it may seem high for many, many people because of the current circumstance, we’ve also got to look to the future and ensure we have the right person in the post.”
The airport is part-owned by a number of councils in the region, including Coventry City Council.
READ MORE: Brexit LIVE: Farage says Tory lies on EU exit have cost Boris
It also comes as British Airways (BA) workers at Heathrow have voted to strike during the school summer holidays.
Members of the GMB and Unite unions overwhelmingly supported the prospect of industrial action over pay with 95 percent of those voting, at both unions, backing strikes on turnouts of 81 percent and 63 percent respectively.
The unions are seeking to reverse a 10 percent pay cut on workers that was imposed during the pandemic when global lockdowns grounded flights.
Around 13,000 jobs were also cut by BA, who have offered a 10 percent one-off bonus but not a return to the same pay as before.
Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said in a statement: “With grim predictability, holidaymakers face massive disruption thanks to the pig-headedness of British Airways.
“GMB members at Heathrow have suffered untold abuse as they deal with the travel chaos caused by staff shortages and IT failures.
“At the same time, they’ve had their pay slashed during BA’s callous fire and rehire policy. What did BA think was going to happen?”
The airline responded: “We’re extremely disappointed with the result and that the unions have chosen to take this course of action.
“Despite the extremely challenging environment and losses of more than £4 billion, we made an offer of a 10 percent payment which was accepted by the majority of other colleagues.
“We are fully committed to work together to find a solution, because to deliver for our customers and rebuild our business we have to work as a team.
“We will of course keep our customers updated about what this means for them as the situation evolves.”
