Airside bus drivers at Gatwick Airport, who are employed by Omni-Serv and are members of the trade union Unite, have voted to accept a two-year pay deal.
Approximately 80 employees will benefit from the deal which includes a total pay increase of 5% for affected employees, as well as a £600 lump sum, non-consolidated payment. The pay deal is due to be backdated, and will be awarded to staff in the near future.
The pay deal was offered in order to mitigate strike action, after 100% of Omni-Serve employed Unite members voted in favour of industrial action. The proposed strike action was in response to a 0% pay offer for 2017, which followed a three-year pay freeze at the organisation.
During the balloting process, Unite’s membership of Gatwick Airport-based Omni-Serv employees increased from 46 to 71.
Jamie Major, regional officer at Unite, said: “The unity of our members was critical in getting this dispute resolved. Once Omni-Serv realised that our members were not going to back down, the [organisation] swiftly put an acceptable pay offer in place.
“It is hoped that these negotiations will act as a watershed moment and that a new more progressive relationship can now develop between Unite and Omni-Serv.
“This dispute demonstrates the vital importance of being a union member; it was only through trade union organisation that [employees] were able to secure a much needed and deserved pay increase.”