Strikes at Gatwick Airport over the Easter holidays will go ahead after hundreds of workers rejected a last-minute deal.
Baggage handlers and flight dispatchers from Red Handling 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 announced last week.
The union told the Standard that its members “overwhelmingly rejected” a settlement offer from Red Handling on Wednesday, but that they remain “available for talks to resolve the matters”.
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.
Workers at the airport have complained that their pensions have been deducted from their wages, but have appeared to go missing, while there have also been complaints that staff are being paid up to two weeks late.
Some employees have also claimed they have not had pension schemes set up for them at all.
Airport staff have also complained they are unable to take breaks when there are issues, such as delayed flights or emergency landings, Unite regional officer David Taylor told the Standard.
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.
Mr Taylor explained that the dispute has been ongoing for over a year, and Unite members believe their employer’s “promises are broken every time”.
He added that the workers had extended an “olive branch” to Red Handling in case they wanted to try and reach a deal on Thursday before the strikes begin on Friday, but it is understood that their stance has not changed towards the union members.
Announcing the strike action last week, Mr Taylor said that how workers have been treated by Red Handling staff “has been nothing short of a disgrace”.
He said: "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.
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"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."
Delta, TAP, Air Peace and Norwegian Airlines could be hit by the strike action, with around 50 flights a day expected to be disrupted.
Holiday goers travelling over the Easter weekend may face flight delays, cancellations, and long queues at check-in and baggage delays, as a result of the strikes.
Legal experts previously warned that travellers hit by the strikes will not be able to claim compensation if they miss part of their holiday, as industrial action by airport staff falls under airlines’ definition of “extraordinary circumstances”.
Gatwick Airport was ranked as the second most disrupted airport over Easter last year, with more than a quarter of passengers facing delays or cancellations, according to data from passengers' rights experts AirHelp.
The company has warned that there may be long queues, baggage delays and potential last-minute disruptions to flights at Gatwick Airport due to the Easter strike action.
In response to the workers' claims, a Red Handling spokesperson said: “Our shift patterns are fully compliant with UK law, with adequate breaks and downtime provided for staff.
“We take payroll very seriously and do everything we can to ensure that all employees are paid accurately and on time. The only recent issues we are aware of have involved non-traditional banks that have taken slightly longer to process payments.
“It affected a very small number of employees and the issue has now been resolved.
“We have responded positively and fully to all issues raised by Unite on behalf of its members and are working hard to address the pensions issues as quickly as possible.”
The company added that it inherited a “complex pensions scenario” and that there had been a small number of delayed payments.
The Red Handling spokesperson said the company is aiming to resolve all delayed payments by May 10.
The spokesperson also said it was confident its contingency plans would “support safe and timely travel over the Easter weekend”.
A London Gatwick spokesperson added: “We are aware of the recent ballot results and the planned industrial action by Red Handling, which will impact thousands of passengers during one of our busiest times of year.
“We are supporting the airlines impacted, who hold the contracts directly with Red Handling, with their contingency plans and are hopeful a resolution can be reached ahead of the proposed industrial action.
“Passengers are advised to contact their airlines directly for latest information.”