Unite the union estimates about 45,000 passengers at Gatwick will face delays later this month amid fresh strikes.
Eight days of industrial action have been announced, including the August Bank Holiday weekend, in disputes over pay.
More than 230 members of Unite employed at ground-handling firm Red Handling and Wilson James, which operates the passenger assistance contract at the airport, are set to walk out.
Red Handling workers are scheduled to begin their first tranche of strike action at 00:01 on Friday August 18 with strikes concluding at 23:59 on Monday August 21. The second strike will begin on 00:01 on Friday August 25, ending at 23:59 on Monday August 28.
The strikes at Wilson James will begin at 00:01 on Friday August 18, ending at 23:59 on Sunday August 20, and then from 00:01 on Tuesday August 22, ending on Thursday August 24 at 23:59.
Red Handling is responsible for ground-handling for Norse Atlantic, Norwegian, Delta, TAP Air Portugal and Saudia.
During the first four-day strike action at Red Handling, Unite believes that 216 flights could be disrupted or delayed, affecting approximately 45,000 passengers.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “Red Handling and Wilson James need to wake up and smell the coffee; other employers at the airport are prepared to pay the going rate and there is no excuse why they shouldn’t do the same.
“There is no way our members will accept a real terms pay cut and poverty pay.
“Unite’s complete focus on the jobs, pay and conditions of its members will mean that our members at Gatwick will receive the union’s unflinching support.”
Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: “The strike action is set to cause severe disruption throughout Gatwick airport, but this dispute is totally of the employers’ own making; they have been given every opportunity to make our members a fair pay offer but have failed to do so.
“The companies need to stop prevaricating and make an offer which meets our members’ expectations.”
Previous strike action over pay at Gatwick, scheduled for late July and early August involving four ground-handling companies, was called off, after all four agreed to make double-digit pay increases.
A Gatwick spokesperson said: “We are aware of the recent ballot results and encourage staff at Wilson James, Red Handling and their union to reach a resolution.
“We will support Wilson James, who hold the contract for providing assistance to passengers, in their contingency planning. We will also support the airlines affected, who hold the contracts with Red Handling, with their contingency plans to ensure that as many flights as possible operate as scheduled.”
A spokesperson for Wilson James added: “The recent industrial ballot result is disappointing to the whole operational leadership team at our Gatwick contract. Our offer represents months of engagement with our workforce via union representatives, and a sincere effort to address the individual and collective concerns as expressed by our team members.
“The wellbeing of our colleagues has always been our top priority. During the pandemic we worked with the airport to protect jobs through reduced hours instead of redundancies, and last year we awarded a significant overall pay uplift while many other companies remained on a pay freeze. In this context we feel our current, above inflation offer is a further testament to the value we place on our colleagues and the service they provide.
“We are continuing dialog and conciliation efforts supported by ACAS, which we hope will allow us to reach an acceptable agreement for all parties.
“More importantly, we know this announcement will heighten concerns for our most vulnerable passengers during the summer travel period. While we continue to engage with union partners transparently and in good faith, we are also preparing contingency plans for possible strike activity to ensure that the passengers who rely on us to support their journeys can plan with confidence.”
Travel Weekly has contacted Red Handling for a response.