Strikes are an unfortunate but necessary part of the working world. Without strikes we would never have gotten stuff like the five-day working week, paid holidays or the right to sick leave. Strikes have done great things for us all – but they can still be really annoying when they get in your way.
If you’re heading off on holiday this July from London Gatwick, the UK’s second biggest airport, you should probably know that more than 100 members of security staff have planned to down tools for several days throughout July. They’re doing so in the name of better pay, and they’ll cause severe disruption to security services at the airport.
As always with industrial action, there’s a chance that the union and the company will come to an agreement before the strikes happen. We’ll let you know if there’s any updates on that front.
Until then, here’s everything you need to know about the Gatwick strikes happening this Summer.
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🇪🇺 All the strikes at European airports you need to watch out for right now.
🚝 When is the next train strike? Dates and affected lines in June 2024.
When are the Gatwick Airport strikes?
The strikes will be going on for six days July 12, 13, 14, and then July 19, 20 and 21. On these days there will be ‘significant delays’ for passengers at security checkpoints and customer services such as check-in.
Why are workers striking?
According to Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite union, which is responsible for organising the strike, the workers are ‘simply seeking a fair day’s pay.
‘ICTS and Wilson James are wealthy companies and can well afford to put forward acceptable pay offers. Our members at Gatwick have Unite’s total backing in taking strike action for a decent pay rise.’
Which airlines will be affected by the Gatwick strikes?
All of them and none at all, in a sense. Basically the striking workers mostly work for security companies so while this will affect passengers flying with all airlines, it won’t affect the airlines themselves.
However, 100 HGV operators in easyJet’s warehouse may also be striking, and in that case easyJet customers could face further delays or disruptions to their journeys.
Will flights be canceled?
No, flights shouldn’t be cancelled. The striking staff won’t stop flights getting in the air or coming back down, but Gatwick has said that customers should continue checking the latest information from their airline in case that changes.
Can I get compensation if a flight is affected by strikes?
If your flight is delayed by a certain amount of time then you could be entitled to compensation. These timings are:
- Less than 1,500km: 2 hours delay
- Between 1,500km and 3,500km: 3 hours delay
- More than 3,500km: 4 hours delay
You can find out more about your rights to compensation, including how much you might be owed and how you can claim it, here.
What’s been said about the strikes so far?
Dominic Rothwell, a regional officer for Unite, said that ‘these disputes could be easily resolved if reasonable offers are put forward.
‘There is still time to avoid industrial action, but that will require these companies to table deals that are acceptable to our members.’
On the flip-side, Gatwick have said that it is ‘working with our suppliers to avoid any impacts and we expect to operate a normal summer holiday flight schedule for our airlines and passengers on these dates’, adding that it hopes ‘Wilson James, ICTS and their union can reach a resolution before then’.
Are there any other strikes to be aware of?
If you’re flying to Europe, you may want to make sure your outward flight won’t be affected by the European airport strikes, which you can learn about here.
Other than that, it’s always good to keep track of the ongoing train strikes here in the UK. Luckily we have an industrial action hub made for that exact purpose, which you can check out here.
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