Passengers at airports across the UK are facing the prospect of having no onboard food or drink during long-haul and short-haul flights as catering workers at Dnata have balloted for strike action.
More than 700 workers at Dnata provide inflight catering for airlines at London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, London City, Glasgow, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham airports. The production line, warehouse and delivery workers have balloted for strike action because they are “angry” at the company’s attempts to change their terms and conditions without consultation.
The Unite workers union, which is representing the Dnata workers, says that the company is refusing to consult on proposals that could detrimentally impact how rostering, variable working, annualised hours, seasonal working, absence management and annual leave allocations are carried out.
If the strikes go ahead, major airlines, including easyJet, Ryanair, TUI, British Airways, Emirates, American Airlines and Air India, will be impacted. The full list of Dnata’s clients at each airport is below.
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.”
The industrial action ballot opened this week and will close on 5th December, with strikes potentially being scheduled over the Christmas period.
Balvinder Bir, Unite’s national officer for aviation added: “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 spokesperson from Dnata Catering & Retail UK responded to the Unite claims: “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.”
Dnata’s clients at each UK airport:
London Heathrow Airport: Emirates, American Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Air China, China Southern Airlines, Air India, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Kenya Airways
London Gatwick Airport: EasyJet, TUI and Emirates
London City Airport: British Airways
London Stansted Airport: Ryanair, TUI, Emirates
Birmingham Airport: Emirates, TUI, EasyJet, Ryan Air and Air India
Bristol Airport: easyJet, TUI and Ryanair
Glasgow Airport: easyJet, Emirates and British Airways
Manchester Airport: easyJet, Ryanair, Emirates, TUI, Air Lingus, Singapore Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines
