Baggage handlers and check-in staff walkout to disrupt school holidays from July
Almost 1,000 workers at Gatwick Airport will stage eight days of strikes during the peak school summer holiday period in a dispute over pay, Unite announced.
Baggage handlers and check-in staff are among those who will walkout over two weekends in July and August as a wave of planned industrial action continues to hit airlines.
Carriers affected will include British Airways, Easyjet, Ryanair, TUI, Westjet and Wizz, with Unite warning cancellations and delays are “inevitable” during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Staff will strike for four days beginning on Friday, 28 July and ending on Tuesday, 1 August. There will then be a further four days of industrial action from Friday, 4 August until Tuesday, 8 August.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members at Gatwick Airport undertake incredibly demanding roles and are essential to keeping the airport and airlines working, yet their employers somehow think it is acceptable to pay them a pittance.
“As part of Unite’s unyielding focus on the jobs, pay and condition of its members the union has drawn a line in the sand and is committed to eradicating the scourge of low pay at the airport.”
The 950 Unite members work for ASC, Menzies Aviation, GGS and DHL Services Ltd carrying out outsourced work for major airlines, including ground handling, baggage handling, ramp agent, dispatchers and check in agents roles.
Unite is also balloting members at three other companies based at Gatwick, with strikes possibly being launched from the middle of next month if workers vote for industrial action.
The union says most of the workers earn less than £12 per hour, “despite undertaking highly demanding and safety critical roles”.
Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: “Strike action will inevitably cause severe delays, disruption and cancellations across Gatwick’s operations but this dispute is entirely of the companies own making.
“They have had every opportunity to make our members’ a fair pay offer but have chosen not to do so.”
Gatwick is already suffering major disruption due to air traffic control (ATC) restrictions, with strikes, staff shortages and air space closures related to the war in Ukraine limiting flight numbers across Europe.
EasyJet has cancelled 1,700 summer flights, mostly from Gatwick, due to the restrictions.
Staff at Eurocontrol, which handles European air traffic, are also prepared to walkout in a dispute over staffing levels and conditions.
A Gatwick spokesperson said: “We are aware of the recent ballot result and will support our airlines with their contingency plans to ensure that flights operate as scheduled.”
(This story is being updated)
