Ground staff Gatwick strike threatens Easter weekend travel plans
April 8, 2025
Industrial action, organised by Unite the Union, will affect check-in staff, baggage handlers, and flight dispatchers servicing airlines including Norwegian, Delta, TAP Air Portugal, and Air Peace. These workers support around 50 flights per day at Gatwick, the UK’s second-busiest airport. The strike is expected to result in delays, cancellations, long queues, and baggage handling issues during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Key issues at the heart of the dispute
The dispute centres on several grievances, with the most urgent being the alleged mishandling of the company pension scheme. Unite claims that employees have faced ongoing issues for over a year, including missing or incorrect pension contributions, and in some cases, no pension accounts being set up at all.
Adding to worker frustrations, Red Handling has reportedly paid wages late on three separate occasions over the past year, leaving some staff waiting up to two weeks for pay. Unite is also demanding compensation for these delays, which it says have pushed many employees into financial hardship.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham condemned the situation, stating:
“Workers have had enough of Red Handling playing fast and loose with their retirement plans and waiting weeks for pay they are rightfully owed for their hard work.”
Health and safety concerns raised
Beyond financial issues, Unite is also raising alarm over alleged breaches of working time regulations. The union claims that Red Handling has imposed new shift patterns without consultation and failed to ensure legally mandated rest periods between shifts, including 11-hour breaks and designated meal times. These conditions, according to Unite, may pose risks to health and safety—particularly for flight dispatchers tasked with assessing operational factors critical to flight safety.
Unite regional officer David Taylor said:
“The way the workers have been treated by Red Handling has been nothing short of a disgrace. There is also a health and safety issue due to workers not being able to take adequate breaks so they can rest between shifts, and we urge the company to take this seriously.”
Impact on travel over Easter weekend
Strike action is scheduled to begin on Good Friday, 18 April, and continue daily through to the early hours of Tuesday, 22 April. With Easter projected to be Gatwick’s busiest period so far this year, airport operations are expected to face severe strain.
Unite maintains that the disruption is the result of Red Handling’s failure to engage meaningfully with employee concerns.
“This is a dispute entirely of Red Handling’s own making,” said Taylor.
Gatwick Airport has yet to issue a formal response on contingency plans, but passengers are advised to check with their airlines for updates and allow extra time for travel.
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