Food fight between union and catering distributor could leave air passengers hungry

The company, which provides food for airlines across the UK, including at Heathrow, Gatwick, Glasgow, Bristol and Manchester, responded after Unite said it was balloting workers for strike action, which could result in passengers having no onboard food or drink during flights.

The union said dnata was refusing to consult on its plans, which could impact how rostering, variable working, annualised hours, seasonal working and annual leave allocations were carried out.

But dnata has hit back, saying that despite continuous efforts, Unite had rejected its “reasonable proposals to enhance wages and conditions”.

A dnata catering and retail spokesperson said: “We have already implemented and paid a salary increase to our team to address cost-of-living pressures and recognise their contributions to the company.

“Our current, competitive offer is in line with market conditions, reflecting industry standards and comparable roles in the sector.

“We are surprised and disappointed by the union’s recent statement claiming we are changing terms and conditions without consultation, which is entirely inaccurate.”

The dnata spokesperson added: “We have consistently sought to engage in constructive discussions with the union throughout the negotiation process.

“We remain open to further dialogue and are committed to achieving an agreement that serves the interests of all parties and ensures the sustainability of our organisation.”

The company has operator licences in three traffic areas, with the most authorisation in London and the South East, which allows for 104 HGVs.

Unite said any industrial action by its 700 members would cause problems for EasyJet, Ryanair, TUI, BA, Emirates, America Airlines and Air India.

Unite national officer for aviation, Balvinder Bir, said: “Strikes would have a serious impact on major airlines at eight UK airports and will be entirely the fault of dnata.

“There is still time for industrial action to be avoided but that will require dnata entering into meaningful negotiations with Unite about the changes it is putting forward.”