There hasn't been a lot of good news for summer holidaymakers lately. Queues for the Eurostar are downright chaotic, industrial action means trains are being cancelled left right and centre and air traffic strikes across Europe have caused a ton of flight delays here in the UK.
Earlier this month, it looked like travellers would once again be faced with disruption. Strikes were announced at Gatwick Airport over several dates in August, with workers and baggage handlers expected to cause major disruption to thousands of holiday plans over the August bank holiday weekend.
As of today (August 17), those strikes have all been suspended. Here is what was planned.
When were the Gatwick airport strike dates?
Red Handling workers will strike from August 18 to August 21 and from August 25 to August 28.
Wilson James workers will strike from August 18 to August 20 and from August 22 to August 24.
Why were Gatwick workers and baggage handlers threatening to go on strike strike?
Staff intended to take industrial action over a pay dispute.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Red Handling and Wilson James need to wake up and smell the coffee, other employers at the airport are prepared to pay the going rate and there is no excuse why they shouldn’t do the same.
‘There is no way our members will accept a real terms pay cut and poverty pay.’
Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: ‘The strike action is set to cause severe disruption throughout Gatwick Airport, but this dispute is totally of the employers’ own making, they have been given every opportunity to make our members a fair pay offer but have failed to do so.
‘The companies need to stop prevaricating and make an offer which meets our members’ expectations.’
How was this expected to impact flights leaving Gatwick?
Unite said that disruption, delays and cancellations were likely. Red Handling is responsible for the baggage of airlines like Norse Atlantic, Norwegian, Delta, TAP Air Portugal and Saudi, so those are more likely to be impacted.
The airport is already facing severe disruption due to air traffic control restrictions from strike action, staff shortages and airspace closures related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Find out all about that here.
EasyJet has already cancelled a whopping 1,700 journeys to and from Gatwick airport in order to ensure that passengers were notified well in advance. If you’ve not been contacted you can check the status of your flight here.
Can I get a refund if my flight is cancelled?
If your flight falls under UK law, your airline has to let you choose between getting a full refund or catching an alternative flight.
Is there any more industrial action in aviation?
Quite a lot, as it happens. There are air traffic control strikes across Europe and various walkouts taking place in countries including Italy, Portugal and Belgium. You can check out the full deets here.
Did you see this UK airport is officially the worst in Europe for flight delays?
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