DHL Workers at Gatwick Airport Suspend Strike Action as New Pay Offer Goes to Ballot

A potential breakthrough has been reached in the dispute between DHL workers at Gatwick Airport and their employers, as a new pay offer has been put to a ballot.

The strike action by 600 DHL workers, who support easyJet's operations at the airport, has been suspended pending the outcome of the ballot.

While the ASC, Menzies Aviation, and GGS workers will still go ahead with their strike action from 28 July to 1 August, the ballot will determine whether the DHL workers will join them in the second wave of strikes from 4 August to 8 August.

The Unite union's regional officer, Dominic Rothwell, urged the remaining employers to return to the negotiating table and put forward an offer that the union's members will accept.

Gatwick Airport had previously announced that it was activating contingency plans to deal with the threat of disruption from the disputes, which could build on the likelihood of wider delays across Europe's skies this summer due to air traffic control strikes on the continent.

EasyJet, which has Gatwick as its main airport of operations, had also announced that it had been forced to cancel 1,700 scheduled services due to the threat of disruption.