Gatwick strike action poses threat to start of summer holidays
British holidaymakers may face disruption ahead of summer as staff at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are to stage fresh strikes in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union based at sites including Gatwick airport will walk out on June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18, following stoppages in January and March.
Pay negotiations for 2025-26 are under way, but PCS warned the gap between the two sides was 'significant'.
Fran Heathcote, PCS general secretary, said: 'We're frustrated and disappointed after management imposed a 2024 pay offer without engaging in meaningful negotiations.
'The current offer – a one-off, non-consolidated payment of £1,150 – has been rejected by union members as inadequate amid rising living costs and concerns about long-term pay erosion.
'Our members deserve a fair pay rise that reflects the cost of living, restores the value of their salaries and recognises the value of their work. Instead, CAA has chosen to bypass negotiations and impose a deal, which is unacceptable to us.'
A spokesman for the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: 'We continue to engage with our PCS trade union colleagues, and after prolonged discussions it is disappointing that PCS trade union members are taking industrial action in June.
'PCS trade union members make up approximately 5 per cent of the CAA's employees and we do not anticipate any disruption to the aviation sector, or any impact on our regulatory oversight activities or other safety and security critical work, as a result of this action.'
Previously in April, Unite, the union, warned of 'flight delays, cancellations, long queues at check-in and baggage delays', in Gatwick.
Staff who worked for Red Handling, a firm that provides baggage handlers, check-in staff and flight dispatchers for the airlines Norwegian, Delta, TAP and Air Peace, staged the strike over the Easter weekend.
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