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Stansted baggage strikes halted Airport strike action called off
(about 5 hours later)
Baggage handlers at Stansted airport have called off 24-hour strikes planned for the bank holiday and after. Baggage handlers and cabin crew at Stansted, Gatwick and Manchester airports have called off a series of 24-hour strikes.
The walkouts, planned for bank holiday Monday and 29 August, were suspended after talks between the GMB union and airport services business Swissport. Walkouts at Gatwick and Stansted on bank holiday Monday and 29 August were halted after talks between the GMB and Unite unions and employers Swissport.
GMB members will vote on the improved offer brokered in the talks at Acas. Strikes at Manchester on 27 August and 1 September have also been called off.
In a separate dispute involving GMB workers at Stansted, more than 30 security scanners are still due to strike on Monday. A separate GMB strike involving more than 30 security scanners at Stansted is still due to take place on Monday.
The staff, who work for Airfield Services screening baggage for Ryanair and easyJet, have rejected a 1.5% pay offer.
'Better offer'
Union members were unhappy with a 3% pay offer from Swissport which they branded "paltry", as well as new sick pay arrangements.
Gary Pearce, of the GMB, said "we have a new improved offer to put to our members" as a result of talks at conciliation service Acas.Gary Pearce, of the GMB, said "we have a new improved offer to put to our members" as a result of talks at conciliation service Acas.
He said: "Because of the improved offer all planned industrial action is suspended until we get the reaction of the members.He said: "Because of the improved offer all planned industrial action is suspended until we get the reaction of the members.
"This does not affect the industrial action for the scanner workers who are employed by Airport Services.""This does not affect the industrial action for the scanner workers who are employed by Airport Services."
Meanwhile, a series of planned strikes by members of the Unite union working for Swissport at Manchester and Gatwick airports could still go ahead as it remains unclear whether an agreement has been reached. The strikes would have affected services at airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Monarch, Thomson Fly and First Choice during one of the busiest periods of the year.
Baggage handlers and cabin crew working for Swissport at Gatwick are still set to strike on bank holiday Monday and 29 August. A spokesman for Unite said: "We have suspended the industrial action. After 12 hours of talks at Acas we now have a revised offer in which improvements have been made and we will now ballot our members."
And Unite staff have voted in favour of two 24-hour strikes at Manchester Airport on 27 August and 1 September. Swissport had said it felt its initial pay offer was "fair... in the light of the current economic climate".