Now Gatwick Airport workers are being balloted for strike action over “poverty pay”
Gatwick workers who help passengers with reduced mobility will vote for strike action in a dispute over pay, Unite said today.
The ballot, of 200 members, opens on Thursday 23 February and closes on Thursday 9 March. The union has warned that "significant strike action" will go ahead if members back industrial action in the ballot.
Unite said the staff, who are employed by OCS Group UK, feel they have been left with no option after pay talks, which have been going on for a year, didn't produce a satisfactory offer. OCS has been approached for comment.
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The union said the majority of the workers are paid £7.65 an hour and three separate pay offers by management have been rejected.
Unite regional officer, Jamie Major, said: “OCS doesn’t seem serious about settling this dispute. At the last meeting management gave four separate options, none of which represented an improved offer in real terms. OCS was simply manipulating figures to rob better paid staff to fund workers on poverty pay. This was smoke and mirrors not meaningful negotiations."
It is entirely unacceptable that OCS think it can get away with paying poverty pay to dedicated workers committed to assisting disabled and reduced mobility passengers. Unite will not allow our members to be treated with casual contempt.
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In a separate dispute, British Airways cabin crew have staged several walkouts at Heathrow, with four fresh days of strikes going ahead from tomorrow.
On past strike dates, BA merged some flights but said all passengers reached their destination.