SAFETY workers at Gatwick Airport have threatened to go on strike after bosses announced they would be closing their final salary pension scheme because of a £90 million black hole.
Firefighters, security officers and maintenance workers at the airport would all be affected, and the threat of a strike means travelling over Christmas could be chaos.
While unios have held talks, claim owners Global Infrastructure Partners has refused to discuss ways to solve the financial problem.
A Gatwick security worker told Mirror Online: “They are trying to bulldoze it through even though they’ve just announced record profits.
“If there is no fire service it could shut down the whole airport.”
A spokesman for Unite, which represents the 1,400 workers, also said: “They are rightly angry. Gatwick is hugely profitable, successful and growing.
“Closing the scheme is an unnecessary step designed to boost shareholder profits.”
A Gatwick spokesman added: “We fully appreciate pensions are a personal and sensitive topic and we are taking this forward in a collaborative manner.
“The strike threat comes ahead of a controversial Government decision on whether to expand Heathrow or build a second runway at Gatwick.
“We will continue to engage, consult and collect the views of employees and encourage members of the defined benefits plans to use the consultation process to air views, understand the issues facing the scheme and ask questions.”
Just last week, reports revealed Heathrow Airport has labelled its arch-rival Gatwick as “second best” in a furious war of words regarding who would be allowed to build the London region’s first new runway since the Second World War.
The decision on the expansion is expected this week, but airport bosses on came head to head last week at an all party London Group hearing at the Commons.
Chief executive at Heathrow John Holland-Kate told London Evening Standard that Gatwick was not equipped to give London the connections it needs post-Brexit.
He said: “We shouldn’t settle for second best!”
He went on to add: “London’s successes built on global connections.
“And in the 21st century that means havin a successful hub airport to maintain and develop our long-haul flights to key emerging markets.
“Heathrow is the only airport that can be that hub our city needs.”
