London Luton Airport facing disruptions as employees strike

Passengers at London Luton Airport faced disruption on Aug 30th due to strike actions from three different companies. Ground handlers, cleaners and car park workers walked out seeking improved pay and employment conditions.

Union Unite has warned passengers they will face “extensive disruption and delays” at Luton Airport (LTN) during the strikes. Over 100 ground handlers at GH London – which performs ground services for ultra-low-cost carrier Wizz Air – will walk out for 24 hours, joined by cleaning staff from Saase Limited and car parking workers employed by APCOA.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Passenger delays and flight disruption are inevitable at Luton Airport tomorrow. The strike action being taken is a direct result of the companies concerned failing to treat staff fairly and decently. Unite’s focus on workers’ jobs, pay and conditions means that there is no way we will accept our members being mistreated or underpaid.”

GH London workers will stage two more 24-hour walkouts – on September 6th and 13th – after last-minute talks on August 29th broke down. Striking workers will maintain a picket line from 06:00 to 12:00 at Airport Way Roundabout.

The strikes will particularly impact Wizz Air flights, so stay updated with the status of your flight if you are flying with Wizz – if your flight is still scheduled, be sure to arrive early to the airport and anticipate a longer-than-usual experience. Analytics firm Cirium has said that almost 80,000 passengers could be impacted over the three days of strikes.

London Luton Airport said of the upcoming strike, “Robust contingency plans are in place and we are working to ensure there is no adverse impact for passengers.”

As Simple Flying reported earlier this month, the GH London dispute is the result of a “breakdown in industrial relations.” Unite has accused the “appalling” ground handling company of several charges, including the unauthorized use of CCTV and audio recordings of workers in break rooms, threatening behavior towards a Unite rep, the “disproportionate use of discipline” against ethnic minorities, and not paying wages on time and in full.

Unite regional officer Jeff Hodge commented, “Unite has given all three companies every opportunity to resolve these disputes through negotiations but they all refused to make proposals which met our members’ expectations.”

Outsourced cleaners at Saase are seeking a pay rise and recently rejected an offer below inflation rates – these workers are paid £10.90 ($13.75) an hour. Car park employees from APCOA will join the strike for the same reason, having also rejected a recent below-inflation pay rise – among these workers include valet parking workers and bus drivers.

Following the disastrous network-wide air traffic control (ATC) problem that hit the UK this week, Luton Airport said it was “fully operational” on August 29th.

However, travelers at the airport can still expect knock-on effects of the ATC issue in the coming days, adding to the upcoming disruption from industrial action.

Simple Flying