An eight day strike action at Gatwick airport will see almost 1,000 workers walk out over pay.
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As school holidays are in full swing, strike action at Gatwick will cause “inevitable” disruption according to Unite union. Almost 1,000 workers, including baggage handlers and ground staff, are due to walk out over pay.
There will be two walkouts over the peak times: The first is from Friday 28th July to Tuesday 1st of August and then again from Friday 4th August until Tuesday 8th August.
The union said that affected airlines include British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair, Tui, Westjet and Wizz. The message from Gatwick Airport is that it would “support the airlines affected with their contingency plans to ensure that as many flights as possible operate as scheduled.
A Unite spokesman said that the 950 workers who are set to strike represent more than half of the ground handling staff at Gatwick. The staff are not employed by Gatwick Airport but work at four firms: ASC, Menzies Aviation, GGS and DHL Services which collectively provide services to major airlines.
Unite says it has been in negotiations with the four companies since January but to date, no pay deal has been agreed.
An easyJet spokesperson said:
“We are extremely disappointed to hear of the proposed industrial action by Unite ground handlers at London Gatwick Airport on the weekends of Friday 28 July and Friday 4 August.
“More talks between our ground handler DHL and Unite are taking place early next week to try and resolve the issue and we urge them to reach an agreement as soon as possible.”
Unite said:
“Most of the workers earn under £12 per hour, despite undertaking highly demanding and safety critical roles. During the pandemic, many companies at Gatwick Airport made large-scale redundancies and cut the pay and conditions of their remaining staff. Unite has been pushing for pay rises for members, and in June it called off strike action by security staff at Britain’s busiest airport, Heathrow, after securing a new deal.”
Last week easyjet cancelled 1,700 flights during July, August and September due to airspace issues over Europe and continuing shortages of air traffic controllers.
