Baggage handlers at Stansted Airport are to strike over Easter in a row over pay, the GMB union announced today.
The move follows an overwhelming vote in favour of industrial action by 150 GMB members employed by Swissport after the union claimed that shift changes would lead to wage cuts of up to £1,000 ($1,589).
The GMB said strikes will be held on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday, threatening disruption to passengers flying on holiday for the holiday break.
GMB official Gary Pearce said: "GMB has offered several alternative shift patterns and working arrangements but the company refuses to listen so far. The travelling public need to be aware that it has been this aggressive move by Swissport to cut our members pay at a time of high inflation that has led to this strike vote. If the strike goes ahead, Swissport is entirely to blame for the disruption.''
Richard Prince, general manager of Swissport Stansted, said the company wanted to avoid redundancies, adding: "The proposed changes to working patterns will achieve a proportion of the necessary savings we need to make to offset our decline in revenue and it means we will avoid job losses. We are not cutting people's pay. We are not increasing the amount of hours they work. We are asking people to spread their contractual hours over a five-day week and not a four-day week. We are keeping people in jobs.''
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