Unite, the leading union representing airline workers, has criticised Redline Oil Services Ltd over desperate and expensive strike busting tactics.

Plane refuellers from Redline Oil, who mainly work for budget airline easyJet at Gatwick Airport, have walked out for four days in a dispute about pay and are set to take industrial action from this Friday (23 May) to next Tuesday (27 May).

However, Redline Oil has employed strike busting tactics, including drafting managers from other sites to cover striking workers and offering them free accommodation which costs £200 a night while they work at Gatwick.

Unite has estimated that Redline have paid £5,000 a day to cover the strike and have brought in at least two replacement workers for every member on strike, meaning the first set of strikes could have cost them £20,000.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Rather than negotiate with Unite and offer our members a meaningful pay rise, Redline has chosen to employ strike breaking tactics which it is paying through the nose for.

"It is clear that Redline can afford to make Unite members at Redline an improved offer. Our members will continue to have the complete support of Unite during this dispute."

Many of the workers brought in from other Redline sites are ex-refuellers who have been promoted and not undertaken the job for some considerable time, so they also had to be given costly refresher training.

The Redline workers voted to strike after unanimously rejecting a pay offer of 4.25 per cent, but Redline has refused to come back to the negotiating table.

Redline workers were the best paid at Gatwick 10 years ago. After regaining Unite recognition in May 2024, Redline members want to re-claim their status as well-paid fuellers and believe the offer of 4.25 per cent does not go far enough after years of real-terms pay cuts.

Unite regional officer Ben Davis said: "Redline Oil have said our pay demands are unaffordable yet they are paying through the nose to bring in workers to cover the strike.

"Our members are hard-working, doing a dangerous and difficult job and all they want is to be paid the same as their peers at Gatwick. We will not back down from this dispute until Redline comes back with a fair pay offer and we urge Redline to negotiate."

ENDS