"Heathrow strike off but Gatwick dispute goes on"

Saturday, September 25, 2005

Heathrow strike off but Gatwick dispute goes on
By Susannah Osborne and Paul Marston
United Kingdom - The Daily Telegraph


The strike by refuelling workers at Heathrow Airport, which threatened to
cause disruption to passengers this weekend, was suspended last night after
a new pay offer.

More than 40 members of the Transport and General Workers' Union walked out
at 4.30am yesterday and were due to strike for 48 hours.

The union said that the workers, employed by the aircraft refuelling company
AFS (H&G Fuel Contracting Services), suspended their action after a revised
pay offer was made by the company.

The offer will be put to the workers at a meeting today.

The union had announced that the workers would stage two more strikes next
month if the pay dispute continued.

Heathrow insisted that flights had not been affected by yesterday's strike
despite claims by the union that there had been some disruption.

The workers refuel around a third of the 1,200 daily flights at Heathrow.

Hundreds of baggage handlers at Gatwick airport will stage a 24-hour strike
today in a separate dispute.

Dozens of management volunteers will take on baggage-handling duties in an
effort to reduce the impact of a strike over a union shop steward.

More than 20 airlines at airport are bracing themselves for disruption to
check-in, luggage and aircraft despatch procedures because of a stoppage by
600 workers employed by the ground agent, Servisair.

Negotiations between Servisair and the Transport and General Workers' Union
broke down yesterday, with participants saying the two sides remained "a
long way apart" over the future of the union's senior shop steward, who has
been suspended by the French-owned company for alleged gross misconduct.

The official has been employed by Servisair for 16 years. It is understood
he has been been accused of breach of trust, incitement and
misrepresentation following an incident two months ago.

On a 54 per cent turn-out, 88 per cent of union members voted for industrial
action in protest at the suspension. The company says it carried out a
"full, fair and transparent" investigation and denies victimisation.

The company said it had drafted in a "substantial contingent" of volunteer
managers and staff from other departments to stand in during the strike.


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