Gatwick Strikes 2023: Warnings of ‘severe disruption’ in August
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Unite has declared that there will be strikes by employees responsible for ground handling and passenger assistance services at Gatwick Airport in the upcoming weeks due to a dispute over wages.
The labor union asserts that the strike will result in significant disturbances, but Simon Calder, The Independent's travel expert, dismisses any forecasts of turmoil as exaggerated.
Over 230 employees will participate in the upcoming protests. Members of the Unite union, employed by Red Handling, a ground handling company, will go on strike for a duration of four days starting from the 18th of August. Following this, they will continue their strike for another four days commencing on the 25th of August, coinciding with the bank holiday weekend in August.
Workers who are part of the labor union and work for Wilson James, the company in charge of Gatwick airport's passenger assistance, will go on strike for a duration of three days starting on August 18th. Additionally, they will also go on strike for another three days beginning on August 22nd.
Unite has recently canceled a sequence of strikes carried out by its airport employees following successful negotiations to resolve wage conflicts.
The labor union alleges that Red Handling and Wilson James have not presented offers that fulfill the workers' hopes.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, expressed that Red Handling and Wilson James must become aware of the situation and face the reality.
Other companies at the airport are willing to offer the standard payment amount, and there is no reason why they should not do so. Our members will not agree to a reduction in their pay that does not account for inflation, and they will not accept wages that keep them in poverty.
"Unite's unwavering dedication to the employment, remuneration, and circumstances of its members represents that our members at Gatwick will be provided with the union's unwavering backing."
Red Handling provides ground handling services for Norse Atlantic, Norwegian, Delta, TAP Air Portugal, and Saudi at Gatwick Airport.
Unite holds the belief that approximately 216 flights stand the chance of being disturbed during the initial four-day strike period. The union asserts that this will impact roughly 45,000 travelers.
A representative from Gatwick expressed that they acknowledge the recent voting outcomes and urge employees of Wilson James, Red Handling, and their labor union to come to a mutual agreement.
"We will offer our assistance to Wilson James, who have been assigned the responsibility of helping passengers, in their preparation for unforeseen events. We will also extend our support to the airlines that are facing the impact, as they have contracts with Red Handling, in order to develop backup plans that allow smooth execution of scheduled flights."
Simon Calder, a journalist specializing in travel and working for The Independent, expressed that the expectations of disorder at Gatwick Airport are exaggerated once again. It appears that the Unite union is taking a strategy of targeting individual handling companies and announcing industrial action in order to quickly grab the employers' attention. This tactic has proven successful during the summer, resulting in better offers being made by the prominent ground handlers.
I am quite certain that the dedicated support team at Wilson James, who take care of passengers with limited mobility, will resolve any issues. Similarly, if I had made a reservation with one of the airlines managed by Red Handling, I would not be excessively worried about potential cancellation or delay.
I eagerly await the news from Unite confirming their triumph once more. However, I encourage everyone to be careful as the continuous alarming alerts about delays and cancellations can negatively impact people who are traveling.
The current forecast by Unite suggests that there will be significant chaos at Gatwick airport. Personally, I do not agree with this forecast, but I anticipate that a few potential travelers might choose to go to other airports instead, which will negatively affect the members of the union.
