Baggage handlers at Gatwick Airport call off strike action after new pay offer


Planned strike action by baggage screeners at Gatwick Airport has been cancelled after the workers accepted a new pay deal, a union has said.

Unite baggage workers, employed by ICTS, had scheduled strike action from August 22-26 including a bank holiday weekend, and again from August 29 to September 2.

The strikes were suspended when the company returned with an improved offer for the workers to consider.

The baggage screeners will now receive a 7% increase in hourly pay, backdated to April 2025, along with other improved benefits, Unite the union announced.

โ€œWell done to Uniteโ€™s reps and members at ICTS who stood together and won,โ€ said Ben Davies, a Unite regional officer.

The union has said the workers were among the lowest paid at the West Sussex airport, earning โ€œjust above the minimum wageโ€.

Meanwhile,ย ICTSย made a profit before tax of ยฃ6.1 million in 2024, a 46.9% increase compared to the previous year, according to the union.

A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport said on X that they were โ€œpleasedโ€ the action had been called off and are looking forward to welcoming passengers โ€œas normalโ€ over the coming days.

During the dispute, Unite said โ€œall flightsโ€ out of Gatwick would face disruption and threatened that industrial action would โ€œintensifyโ€ if it was not resolved.

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