Gatwick airport strike latest: no industrial action this weekend as Red Handling workers get improved offer

The union said today (Thursday, August 17) that industrial action by workers employed by ground handling company Red Handling has been called off after they received a ‘significantly improved pay offer’.

The strike was set to begin on Friday, August 18.

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.”

Workers received the revised offer late on Wednesday, August 16, and Unite said they will now be balloted on the proposed deal.

“As an act of good faith this week’s strike action has been suspended,” said a spokesperson, but they added: “If the workers reject the offer, then the strike action planned from Friday 25 August until Monday 28 August will go ahead as scheduled.”

Unite had previously announced on Tuesday, August 15, that only strike action by workers employed by Wilson James, which operates the airport’s passenger assistance programme, had been suspended this weekend after ‘a greatly improved offer’. The union said on Tuesday that if the Red Handling strike went ahead, it would affect the ground handling for: Norse Atlantic, Norwegian, Delta, TAP Air Portugal, and Saudi. Unite said the initial four-day strike would affect 216 flights and 45,000 passengers.

But now the Red Handling offer means no strike action will go ahead at the airport this weekend.