Gatwick Airport workers plan strike across August Bank Holiday weekend

Baggage screeners working at London-Gatwick Airport (LGW) plan to strike across the UK’s August Bank Holiday weekend following a dispute over pay with their employer ICTS. 

Union representatives from Unite said on August 12, 2025, that staff employed by ICTS are “amongst the lowest paid workers at the airport earning just above the minimum wage”. 

Baggage screeners will take industrial action from August 22 to August 26, 2025, and from August 29 to September 2, 2025, leaving thousands of travelers at Gatwick Airport facing disruptions.  

The British summer holidays are among the busiest period for UK airports and includes the August Bank Holiday weekend which this year falls between August 23 and August 25, 2025. 

Unite claims that ICTS’s turnover has grown by 110% since 2020, reaching £170.59 million ($231 million) in 2024. It made a profit before tax of £6.1 million ($8.2 million) in 2024, a 46.9%  increase compared to the year before. 

Rich Higgins / Shutterstock.com“ICTS has more than enough money to offer these workers a fair pay rise. Not doing so is just corporate greed. ICTS’ Gatwick workers will receive Unite’s complete backing for as long as it takes during their strikes for fair pay,” said Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham. 

Unite warned that if the dispute is not resolved then “industrial action will intensify”.   

“ICTS is entirely responsible for the disruption that will be caused to Gatwick passengers during the strike action. It can well afford to put forward an acceptable pay offer and that is what needs to happen,” said Unite Regional Officer Ben Davis. 

He added: “Despite performing a critical role, these workers are amongst the lowest paid at the airport. Gatwick should be stepping in and pressuring ICTS to put an improved offer forward.” 

In a statement, Gatwick Airport told The Independent that the planned strikes were “an industrial matter with third-party suppliers”. 

“We are working with our suppliers to avoid any impacts, and we expect to operate a normal summer holiday flight schedule for our airlines and passengers on these dates. Of course, we hope ICTS and their union can reach a resolution before then,” added the airport spokesperson 

AeroTime contacted ICTS for comment. 

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