Gatwick strikes suspended in ‘act of good faith’
Planned strikes set to disrupt Gatwick Airport during one of the busiest periods of the year have been called off, after workers at Red Handling received an improved offer.
As a result, strikes that were to begin tomorrow, Friday 18 August until Monday 21 August have been cancelled.
Members of the Unite union received a last minute offer yesterday evening and will now be balloted on the new deal, but the union said it had suspended this week’s industrial action “as an act of good faith”.
Around 216 flights would have been affected by the walk-out, impacting 45,000 passengers.
The union warned that if the workers reject the new revised offer, then future strike action planned from Friday 25 August until Monday 28 August would still go ahead.
Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: “Unite has been consistent from the outset, we believed that Red Handling could afford to make an improved offer and that proved to be the case.”
“Our members will now decide whether the deal on the table meets their expectations.”
Wilson James suspended their action on Tuesday after receiving a new offer.
Gatwick has been plagued by strike threats during a record season of travel demand in the UK, but has so far managed to avoid disruption over August.