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

Airline across the UK may have no food or drink during both long and short haul flights, as more than 700 catering staff are balloting for industrial action.

The dnata employees work at eight UK airports - London's , Gatwick, City and Stansted as well as , Bristol, Glasgow and Birmingham. They are production line, warehouse and delivery workers, who are angry at the company’s attempts to change their terms and conditions without consultation.

dnata is refusing to consult with Unite, the trade union representing the workers, on plans that could detrimentally impact how rostering, variable working, annualised hours, seasonal working, absence management and annual leave allocations are carried out. If strikes go ahead, major airlines, including easyJet, Ryanair, TUI, BA, Emirates, America Airlines and Air India, will be impacted.

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Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “dnata’s attempts to bypass its workers and force through damaging changes to terms and conditions will not be tolerated. Unite’s dnata members have their union’s full and unflinching support in fighting its underhand attempts to impose these plans.”

Unite national officer for aviation Balvinder Bir said: “Strikes would have a serious impact on major airlines at eight UK airports and will be entirely the fault of dnata. There is still time for industrial action to be avoided but that will require dnata entering into meaningful negotiations with Unite about the changes it is putting forward.”

A dnata Catering & Retail UK spokesperson said: "Despite our continuous efforts to reach a fair solution, Unite has rejected our reasonable proposals to enhance wages and conditions and initiated a ballot for industrial action. We have already implemented and paid a salary increase to our team to address cost-of-living pressures and recognise their contributions to the company.

"Our current, competitive offer is in line with market conditions, reflecting industry standards and comparable roles in the sector. We are surprised and disappointed by the union's recent statement claiming we are changing terms and conditions without consultation, which is entirely inaccurate.

"We have consistently sought to engage in constructive discussions with the union throughout the negotiation process. We remain open to further dialogue and are committed to achieving an agreement that serves the interests of all parties and ensures the sustainability of our organisation."