Airlines could have no food for passengers as catering workers consider strike

Workers for dnata, which supplies 8 airports successful the UK, are aggravated that the institution has tried to alteration presumption and conditions with consultation and their refusal to speech with their union

Airline passengers across the UK whitethorn person nary nutrient oregon portion during some agelong and abbreviated haul flights, arsenic much than 700 catering unit are balloting for concern action.

The dnata employees enactment astatine 8 UK airports - London's Heathrow, Gatwick, City and Stansted arsenic good arsenic Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow and Birmingham. They are accumulation line, warehouse and transportation workers, who are aggravated astatine the company’s attempts to alteration their presumption and conditions without consultation.

dnata is refusing to consult with Unite, the commercialized national representing the workers, connected plans that could detrimentally interaction however rostering, adaptable working, annualised hours, seasonal working, lack absorption and yearly permission allocations are carried out. If strikes spell ahead, large airlines, including easyJet, Ryanair, TUI, BA, Emirates, America Airlines and Air India, volition beryllium impacted.

Unite wide caput Sharon Graham said: “dnata’s attempts to bypass its workers and unit done damaging changes to presumption and conditions volition not beryllium tolerated. Unite’s dnata members person their union’s afloat and unflinching enactment successful warring its underhand attempts to enforce these plans.”

Unite nationalist serviceman for aviation Balvinder Bir said: “Strikes would person a superior interaction connected large airlines astatine 8 UK airports and volition beryllium wholly the responsibility of dnata. There is inactive clip for concern enactment to beryllium avoided but that volition necessitate dnata entering into meaningful negotiations with Unite astir the changes it is putting forward.”

A dnata Catering & Retail UK spokesperson said: "Despite our continuous efforts to scope a just solution, Unite has rejected our tenable proposals to heighten wages and conditions and initiated a ballot for concern action. We person already implemented and paid a wage summation to our squad to code cost-of-living pressures and recognise their contributions to the company.

"Our current, competitory connection is successful enactment with marketplace conditions, reflecting manufacture standards and comparable roles successful the sector. We are amazed and disappointed by the union's caller connection claiming we are changing presumption and conditions without consultation, which is wholly inaccurate.

"We person consistently sought to prosecute successful constructive discussions with the national passim the dialog process. We stay unfastened to further dialog and are committed to achieving an statement that serves the interests of each parties and ensures the sustainability of our organisation."