Gatwick security staff plan 48-hour strike from Saturday August 10th over ‘poverty’ pay
SECURITY staff at Gatwick will stage a 48-hour strike from Saturday 10th over “poverty” pay.
Some 130 Unite union members, who scan luggage, voted for action on one of the busiest holiday weekends of the summer after saying they are paid less than £9 an hour.
Unite’s Jamie Major said: “Security and safety should be top priorities, yet workers feel under-valued and fed up working for an employer that doles out poverty wages.
“It is high time the airport got its priorities right and starts investing in its hard-working staff, instead of paying millions to its shareholders.
The workers voted by 95% in favour of strike action, which Unite said was a “clarion call to end poverty pay.”
Mr Major added: “It is astonishing that workers, who undertake such crucial safety critical work as scanning luggage, are paid so little for the work they do.
“There is now a window for the company to hold constructive talks.”
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An airport spokesman said: “Flights will not be impacted at Gatwick.”
“In the interests of our passengers, we continue to encourage both sides in this dispute to work towards a resolution.”
Planned strikes by check-in staff at Stansted, due to start on Friday, have been called off after a pay deal was accepted.
The package agreed by Unite workers amounts to a 13 per cent rise back-dated to April.
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