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The company at the centre of a strike dispute planned at Gatwick Airport over Easter says it is “confident” it will find a resolution and have plans in place for timely travel over the busy period.
Earlier this month, the Unite union announced that there would be strike action starting on Good Friday, 18 April and continuing over the Easter weekend until the early hours of Tuesday, 22 April at Gatwick Airport.
Members of Unite working for ground handling firm Red Handling who are planning to strike include baggage handlers, check-in staff and flight dispatchers for airlines including Norwegian, Delta, TAP and Air Peace.
“As the workers handle about 50 flights a day, the strike action will cause major disruption for holidaymakers planning getaways that weekend with expected flight delays, cancellations, long queues at check-in and baggage delays,” Unite said.
Unite also claims Red Handling has routinely paid employees late, not agreeing to contractual late payment reimbursement and has insufficient working patterns.
Unite regional officer David Taylor said: “We’re demanding that Red Handling pay all outstanding pension contributions immediately and compensate staff for retirement money they've lost, as well as commit to reimbursing them for late payments.
“There is also a health and safety issue due to Red Handling workers not being able to take adequate breaks so they can rest between shifts, and we urge the company to take this seriously.
“Gatwick Airport says it expects the Easter holiday to be its busiest period of the year so far, so there is no doubt that industrial action over the long weekend will be extremely disruptive for travellers – however, this is a dispute entirely of Red Handling's own making.”
However, in a statement released by a spokesperson for Red Handling obtained by Travel Weekly, the company said it is now working to address these issues raised by Unite, and despite the union claiming the strike will cause major disruption, the firm says contingency plans are in place for “safe and timely travel”.
“We have inherited a complex pensions scenario, which has resulted in a small number of delayed payments for a small number of staff.
“We have committed to ensuring that all those payments are resolved by 10 May, with staff concerned aware of these timescales.
“We are working to come to an agreement with Unite on all outstanding matters where they do not pose a financial or operational risk to the business.
They added: “We are working with all the stakeholders and feel confident in finding a resolution.
“We are also confident on our contingency plans to support safe and timely travel over the Easter weekend.”
Red Handling also touched on recent issues involving “non-traditional” banks “that have taken slightly longer to process payments”, which has affected a “very small number” of employees and has been resolved.
The spokesperson also pointed out that Red Handling had introduced a 22 per cent pay rise in the past two years, “surpassing many of our competitors” and introduced extra leave days and double-time pay for those working on “select" public holidays.
“While these improvements benefit our employees and are aimed at boosting staff morale, they also need to be done in a way that ensures the long-term success of the business,” the spokesperson said.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “We are aware of the recent ballot results and the planned industrial action by Red Handling which will impact thousands of passengers during one of our busiest times of year.
“We are supporting the airlines impacted, who hold the contracts directly with Red Handling, with their contingency plans and are hopeful a resolution can be reached ahead of the proposed industrial action.
“Passengers are advised to contact their airlines directly for latest information.”
The Independent has contacted Red Handling for further comment.
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