Planned strike action at Gatwick Airport has been called off after hundreds of workers voted overwhelmingly to accept an improved pay offer, lifting the threat of serious disruption for passengers.
More than 220 staff employed by contractor Wilson James, who are represented by the Unite union, had been due to walk out for eight days earlier this month in a long-running dispute over pay. The industrial action was suspended so members could vote on a revised deal, which has now been decisively backed.
The workers at the heart of the dispute provide assisted travel support for passengers at the Sussex airport — a lifeline service for elderly travellers and people with reduced mobility. Their daily work includes guiding passengers through check-in and security, helping them board aircraft, assisting with wheelchairs and mobility equipment, and making sure those who need extra help can travel safely and with dignity.
A walkout would have risked severe disruption for some of the airport’s most vulnerable passengers. With far fewer trained staff available at assistance points across the terminals, travellers who rely on the service could have faced long waits, missed connections and a far more stressful journey. Airport bosses had been bracing for queues and delays during what is traditionally one of the busiest periods of the year.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham hailed the outcome as “a great win” for the workforce. She said the members “do an important job helping passengers with disabilities at one of our busiest airports” and had secured the improved offer “by standing together and taking action”.
“It proves the power of a union,” she added.
The agreed package includes a five per cent pay rise, backdated to April, alongside a 0.5 per cent increase in employer pension contributions. Looking further ahead, workers are guaranteed another increase in 2027 worth either inflation plus one per cent, or 3.5 per cent — whichever turns out to be greater.
What assisted travel involves
For many passengers, the assisted travel team are the friendly faces who make flying possible. Under aviation rules, airports must provide free assistance to disabled passengers and those with reduced mobility, from the moment they arrive until they are settled in their seat. That can mean pushing a wheelchair through a busy terminal, helping a visually impaired traveller navigate security, or ensuring medication and mobility aids stay with their owner throughout the journey.
It is skilled, patient work that relies on training and experience — and a strike would have stripped the airport of the very people qualified to do it. Disability campaigners have long warned that any interruption to assistance services hits some travellers far harder than others, turning a routine trip into an ordeal.
How the dispute unfolded
The eight-day walkout had been scheduled for earlier this month, raising the prospect of major disruption just as families and holidaymakers were travelling. Union negotiators then secured an improved offer and agreed to suspend the action so members could be balloted on the revised terms.
The result, described as an overwhelming vote in favour, draws a line under weeks of uncertainty for passengers who had been anxiously checking whether their flights might be affected.
A busy winter ahead
The resolution comes as the airport gears up for one of its busiest winter seasons, with airlines adding new routes to sun, snow and Christmas market destinations. Jet2 is planning its biggest winter programme yet at Gatwick, with 13 new routes going on sale.
It also follows a difficult week for travellers heading to the Sussex airport, after a trackside fire caused major disruption on Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express services.
The breakthrough will come as a relief to passengers booked to fly from Gatwick in the coming weeks, many of whom had been bracing for delays and cancellations. With the pay dispute now settled, attention turns to the airport’s winter schedule and whether the busy season can proceed without further disruption.
