By Tom Espiner
Business reporter, BBC News
Nearly a thousand workers are set to take eight days of strike action at Gatwick Airport over the summer holidays in a row over pay, the Unite union has said.
The strike could cause some disruption during what could be the busiest summer period since the pandemic.
The workers, at four firms, include baggage handlers and ground staff.
They will strike from Friday 28 July to Tuesday 1 August, and then again from Friday 4 August to Tuesday 8 August.
Airlines that will be affected include British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair, Tui, Westjet and Wizz, the union said.
The impact of the action is uncertain, although Unite said disruption, delays and cancellations were “inevitable”.
The 950 workers who are set to strike work at four firms: ASC, Menzies Aviation, GGS and DHL Services.
These companies provide services to major airlines, including ground handling, baggage handling, and check-in work.
Most of the workers earn under £12 per hour, Unite said, “despite undertaking highly demanding and safety critical roles”.
“During the pandemic, many companies at Gatwick Airport made large-scale redundancies and cut the pay and conditions of their remaining staff,” it added.
Unite has been pushing for pay rises for members, and in June it called off strike action by security staff at Britain’s busiest airport, Heathrow, after securing a new deal.
The action at Gatwick, if it goes ahead, will put further pressure on the aviation industry as it deals with restricted airspace over Ukraine due to Russia’s war and the possibility of air traffic control strikes.
There is a shortage of air traffic controllers, and some strikes are already planned – for example, there is an air traffic strike in Italy on Saturday 15 July, which Ryanair has said is expected to cause cancellations and disruption.
Earlier this week, Easyjet cancelled 1,700 flights during July, August and September due to constrained airspace over Europe and continuing air traffic control difficulties.
About 100 airport security staff and technicians are set to walk out at Birmingham Airport from 18 July, but the airport has said if a strike does take place, its effect would be limited, with no cancellations.
