More than 100 airport workers are set to strike during the Easter weekend, sparking concerns of significant travel chaos, as they protest over issues like unpaid pensions. Unite, their union, warns that holidaymakers could face major disruptions due to the industrial action at Gatwick Airport.
The strikes are scheduled to kick off on Good Friday, April 18, lasting until the early hours of Tuesday, April 22. The employees in question, who work for ground handling company Red Handling, have various roles such as baggage handlers, check-in staff, and flight dispatchers.
Airlines associated with Red Handling that could be affected include Norwegian, Delta, TAP, and Air Peace. About 50 flights are handled by the striking workers daily, potentially leading to a series of trouble for passengers including flight delays, cancellations, baggage delays, and long queues at check-in.
The underlying issues prompting the strikes have been highlighted as a range of grievances, primarily focusing on issues regarding how the company has been dealing with its pension scheme in the past year. .
According to Unite, members allege that expected payments have been either absent or incorrect, while some did not have pension schemes established at all. The union also detailed incidents where workers were paid late on three occasions within the past 12 months, with some waiting as long as two weeks to receive their salaries.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, voiced the workers’ frustrations, stating: “Workers have had enough of Red Handling playing fast and loose with their retirement plans and waiting weeks for pay they are rightfully owed for their hard work.”
She added: “The union will not stand back and watch members be treated in such an appalling way and they have the full support of Unite in this dispute.”
Unite has accused Red Handling of refusing to agree to a late payment of wages reimbursement. The union also highlighted grievances such as new shift patterns being enforced without consultation and workers not receiving the legally mandated 11-hour breaks between shifts or sufficient rest periods.
Unite regional officer David Taylor said: “The way the workers have been treated by Red Handling has been nothing short of a disgrace. We’re demanding that Red Handling pay all outstanding pension contributions immediately and compensate staff for retirement money they’ve lost, as well as commit to reimbursing them for late payments.”
He added: “There is also a health and safety issue due to Red Handling workers not being able to take adequate breaks so they can rest between shifts and we urge the company to take this seriously. Gatwick Airport says it expects the Easter holiday to be its busiest period of the year so far, so there is no doubt that industrial action over the long weekend will be extremely disruptive for travellers – however this is a dispute entirely of Red Handling’s own making.”
Red Handling have been approached for comment.
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