Inconvenience for hundreds of thousands of passengers. After the strike of airport workers in Italy, it will be London’s turn in the end of July.
Airline passengers should be prepared for flight delays and cancellations today, Saturday, July 15th, in Italy and in late July / early August in the UK. After an eight-hour strike at Italian airports from north to south, called by the unions Filt Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uiltrasporti, and Ugl Ta, demanding an extension of an industry contract that has already expired six years ago, their British colleagues also decided to get busy.
The campaign that will last eight days from late July to early August was announced by the British trade union Unite on behalf of one thousand freight handlers and various ground service workers at London’s Gatwick Airport, second only to Heathrow in importance among half a dozen airports in the British capital.
According to the Reuters news agency, “airport workers denouncing unreliable contracts want to strike for eight days.” The first four-day round is scheduled to run from Friday, July 28, to Tuesday, August 1. If an agreement is not reached, the chaos for passengers will continue for four more days – from the 4th to the 8th of August.
According to the Unite union, wages are currently stuck at their lowest point, below the £12 per hour threshold. In addition, the British trade union complains of persistent staff shortages following the layoffs made during the most acute period of Covid-related travel restrictions. The layoffs will later be compensated only partially, despite the full reopening of the Gatwick airport.
And as it is happening today in Italy – more than 100 flights were canceled at Fiumicino Airport – inconveniences are expected for thousands of passengers in London, including delays and cancellations. Airlines that are at risk of facing problems in Gatwick include EasyJet, which has its main hub there, British Airways, Ryanair, Tui, Westjet, and WizzAir.