Gatwick Airport could be hit with major disruption over the Easter holidays as hundreds of workers are set to go on strike.
Baggage handlers and flight dispatchers from Red Handling Staff will take industrial action at the UK’s second biggest airport over several issues, including unpaid pensions, late payments and “illegal” shift patterns, the Unite union has announced.
Delta, TAP, Air Peace and Norwegian Airlines could be hit by the strike action, with around 50 flights a day are expected to be disrupted during one of the busiest periods of the year so far.
Holiday goers travelling over the Easter weekend may face flight delays, cancellations, and long queues at check-in and baggage delays.
Unite members are in dispute over numerous issues, with the most pressing being the continued mishandling of the company pension scheme which has been going on for over a year.
The union has said that workers have found their payments have been missing or incorrect, while some employees have not even had pension schemes set up for them.
Staff at Red Handling have also said they have been “routinely” paid late. Employees say they have been paid late three times in the last year, with some workers waiting for wages for up to two weeks.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "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.
"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."
As well as the problems with pensions and delays to pay, workers say that new working patterns mean they are not getting 11 hours between their shifts, the legal requirement between working days, or lunch and afternoon breaks.
This is potentially dangerous, especially for those members who work as flight dispatchers and assess the factors that affect a flight’s safety as a key part of their role.
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.
"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."
Strike action will start on Good Friday, April 18 and continue each day over the Easter weekend until the early hours of Tuesday, April 22.
Red Handling Staff has been contacted for comment.
