Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester airport strike called-off
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A planned Christmas strike by airport staff at Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester airports has been called off.
Members of the Unite union working for dnata at the three airports had been due to walk out tomorrow, but will be balloted on revised proposals.
Unite regional officer Kevin Hall said: 'Unite is pleased to confirm that strike action has been suspended following a revised offer which better reflects the contribution our members make to the company.
Unite union had called for peace talks to avoid disruption at airports on December 23 and 24, and thankfully it appears some common ground has been reached
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'All of this could have been avoided if the company hadn't refused requests to negotiate and go to ACAS a number of weeks ago. We will now be putting the details of the revised pay offer to our members over the coming weeks.'
A spokesperson for dnata told TravelMole: 'During dnata's recent discussions with Unite and ACAS, the two parties have come to an agreement on the salary award for dnata's Unite members. Unite has accepted dnata's offer of an increase in salary of 2.25 per cent, and a one-time payment of £175 for all employees.'
Three of Heathrow's five terminals were going to be affected, as well as Gatwick and Manchester Airports.
The strike would have affected check-in desks at Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airports
The Unite union, which was behind the strike, said its members who work for air services provider dnata at Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester had voted by more than four to one in favour of the action.
Dnata's main customers include Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Turkish Airlines and Qantas Airways. The union said the strike was in protest at an imposed 2.2 per cent pay increase at a time when supervisors were being granted a rise of 4.5 per cent.
Unite represents around a quarter of the 1,900 dnata staff who carry out check-in, ground crew and cargo duties at Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester Airports.
Turnout among the 460 Unite members eligible to vote was just 45 per cent. Of those who voted, some 83 per cent supported the strike 'if the company continued to refuse to negotiate'.
Unite said it was not its intention to wreck Christmas for families, but simply to get the firm around the negotiating table.
However it appears, at least for now, anyone travelling away this Christmas may escape added stresses to their holiday.
Gatwick had earlier confirmed that as Dnata have only a small operation at the airport, no passengers would be affected if the strike had gone ahead.
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