Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, May 09, 2025

Gatwick Airport Faces Disruption as Workers Strike Over Pensions and Pay Issues

Gatwick Airport Faces Disruption as Workers Strike Over Pensions and Pay Issues

Hundreds of baggage handlers and flight dispatchers plan to strike during the Easter holidays, impacting flight operations at the UK's second busiest airport.
Gatwick Airport is poised for significant disruption during the upcoming Easter holiday as hundreds of workers, including baggage handlers and flight dispatchers from Red Handling, prepare to strike.

The industrial action, announced by the Unite union, centers around unresolved issues related to unpaid pensions, late salary payments, and allegedly illegal shift patterns.

On average, around 50 flights a day are anticipated to be affected, with major airlines such as Delta, TAP, Air Peace, and Norwegian Airlines likely to experience delays or cancellations.

This strike action coincides with one of the busiest travel periods of the year, prompting concerns from holiday travelers about potential flight disruptions, long queues at check-in, and baggage handling delays.

Union representatives assert that the dispute's most pressing issue is the mishandling of the employees' pension scheme, which has persisted for over a year.

Workers have reported missing or incorrect pension contributions, and some have not had pension plans established at all.

Additionally, complaints have surfaced regarding chronic delays in wage payments; many employees have experienced late payments three times over the past year, with some waiting as long as two weeks for owed wages.

Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, emphasized the severity of the workers' grievances, stating that they are fed up with what they perceive as Red Handling's negligence regarding their retirement plans and timely compensation for their labor.

David Taylor, Unite's regional officer, echoed these sentiments, asserting that the treatment of workers by Red Handling is unacceptable.

He called for immediate action to settle outstanding pension contributions and to reimburse workers for late pay, highlighting urgent health and safety concerns arising from inadequate breaks between shifts.

The scheduled strike action will commence on Good Friday, April 18, and will continue each day through to the early hours of Tuesday, April 22. Gatwick Airport anticipates that the holiday period will be one of its busiest times this year, raising the likelihood of substantial disruption due to the industrial action.

Red Handling has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the situation.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×