Airport strike action called off

Baggage handlers at three airports have called off two 24-hour strikes

Baggage handlers and check-in staff at Stansted, Gatwick and Manchester airports have called off a series of 24-hour strikes.

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.

Strikes at Manchester on 27 August and 1 September have also been called off.

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.

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."

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.

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."

Swissport had said it felt its initial pay offer was "fair... in the light of the current economic climate".