Gatwick airline catering strikes called off as workers consider new deal

Strikes by airline catering workers at Gatwick have been suspended while workers vote on a new pay deal, a union has confirmed.

Unite members employed by Dnata were due to strike from April 26-29 in protest over their wages, sparking fears of food and drink shortages on flights departing from the airport.

The action is believed to have mainly affected easyJet flights, although the airline said it had contingency plans in place in the event of a strike.

Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: “Following an improved offer from dNata, Unite has suspended strike action in order to vote for its members on the new offer.”

The strikes by the airline’s catering staff, which were also expected to impact other airlines including TUI, concerned the airline’s “unilateral removal of a shift allowance for all staff last April”.

Unite said the move had resulted in all Dnata workers taking a pay cut of between £1,500 and £2,000 per worker.

Dnata handles all easyJet flights from Gatwick, with the airline offering 200 flights per day during peak periods.

This action would have meant that there would have been no food or drink available from Dnata on any of the airlines’ flights departing from the airport.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham accused Dnata of “double-dealing and blatant dishonesty” over changes to shift pay.

easyJet, Dnata and Gatwick Airport have been contacted for comment.

In a previous statement, Dnata said the industrial action was prompted by “a single point of disagreement on which no consensus has yet been reached”.