By bizn_fun 
Unite, which represents 5,000 workers at BAE’s factories in Warton and Samlesbury, said its workers “know their value and want their fair share of the pie”.
The union said higher-skilled staff at the sites were last year given 3.6% pay increases “against their will”, while those on the factory floor agreed to a 4.2% rise and an extra day off.
Local Unite organiser Ross Quinn said the striking staff, on average salaries of £50,000, were “crucial” to BAE’s success.
And Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said: “BAE’s profits are little short of obscene. The company is making billions from government contracts and yet refuses to pay our members what they are worth.”
BAE has offered 3.7% raises for 2026. Those on strike are demanding 5.2% increases to account for last year’s below-inflation raises.
A BAE Systems spokesperson said the current offer “is fair and ensures that our employees continued to receive market-leading pay and rewards, while balancing our need to be competitive and affordable for our customers”.
On the prospect of strike action continuing into March, BAE said: “With the majority of our employees working as normal, we are focused on minimising any disruption and implementing our robust contingency plans.”
Speaking after the company’s record results, Woodburn, who has run BAE since 2017, said: “In a new era of defence spending, driven by escalating security challenges, we’re well-positioned to provide both the advanced conventional systems and disruptive technologies needed to protect the nations we serve now and into the future.”
The firm is expecting profits to grow further, by around 10% in 2026, it said.