Gatwick workers vote for strike action in July and August

Image above: Gatwick Airport

Eight days of strike action to take place over July and August

Around 950 workers at Gatwick airport are due to start an eight-day strike later this month over a pay dispute.

The strike action will involve members of Unite who hold various roles such as baggage handling and check-in. These employees work for ASC, Menzies Aviation, GGS, and DHL Services.

The strike will initially last for four days, starting on Friday 28 July, and concluding on Tuesday, 1 August. It will then resume for an additional four days from Friday, 4 August, to Tuesday, 8 August.

Earlier this week Unite announced a 16% pay increase agreement for security staff at Gatwick employed by ICTS. They consider this deal as a standard for all other pay negotiations at the airport.

Unite has indicated that several airlines, including British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Tui, WestJet, and Wizz, will be affected by the upcoming strikes. Cirium, an analytics firm, reports that over 4,400 flights are scheduled to depart from Gatwick during the planned strike days.

Although Gatwick say airline contingency plans will enable flights to continue, the news of the strikes, coupled with existing air traffic control issues, has made many people concerned the airport is heading another challenging summer with problems similar to the problems caused by labour shortages experienced in 2022.

Image above: Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham

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