Holiday boost as number of Gatwick Airport strikes called off
STRIKES by some of the workers at Gatwick Airport involved in pay disputes have been suspended.
Unite said planned action by almost 600 DHL workers has been suspended following an improved pay offer.
The DHL workers will be balloted on the new offer and strikes scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 1 will now not go ahead.
If the workers reject the deal, fresh strike dates will be announced.
Strikes by around 450 ASC, Menzies Aviation and GGS workers at Gatwick are still scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 1, with a further four days from August 4 to August 8.
Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: “As an act of good faith, Unite’s Gatwick DHL members have agreed to suspend their first set of strikes while they are balloted on the new offer.
“Strikes by ASC, Menzies and GGS workers are still scheduled to go ahead. Unite urges the remaining employers to return to the negotiating table and put forward an offer our members will accept.”
Analytic website Cirium said as many as 4,410 flights are due to depart Gatwick Airport during the strike, working out to 840,000 passengers.
The walkouts will threaten a summer of travel chaos with passengers likely to face heavy disruption.
Other strikes are set to cause travel chaos for British holidaymakers this summer.
Thousands of flights were set to be impacted as air traffic controllers in France and Italy stage walkouts.
And easyJet has been forced to cancel 1,700 flights over the summer to prevent last-minute daily cancellations.
The cancellations affect easyJet flights to and from Gatwick Airport across July, August and September.
The airline told ITV that around 95 per cent of passengers have been put onto alternative flights.
However, that leaves around 9,000 passengers without a replacement flight.
Here are the full list of strikes that will affect your summer holiday.