Planned strike action by easyJet check-in staff and baggage handlers at Luton Airport has been formally called off after workers voted to accept an improved pay offer.
The decision brings an end to a dispute that had threatened to disrupt hundreds of flights during the busy Christmas and New Year travel period.
Around 200 staff, who are employed by DHL on an outsourced contract for easyJet, had already taken three days of strike action before Christmas and were due to walk out again from Boxing Day until 28 December. Those further strikes were suspended following talks involving Unite, DHL and the conciliation service Acas, which led to a revised offer being put to workers.
The 18-month deal includes a 5.5 per cent pay increase backdated to October 2025, a 25 per cent rise in night shift premiums and a £250 payment due in April 2026. Unite said the offer was accepted after a ballot of its members involved in the dispute.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Congratulations to Luton’s DHL workers, who by demanding better pay and taking strike action secured an excellent deal. As this result shows, Unite is the union that wins for workers.”
Unite regional officer Jeff Hodge said: “This deal is another reminder that workers wanting better wages and terms and conditions should join Unite and get their colleagues to join as well.”
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