UK, France, Belgium: Travel strikes planned for April and May

[ad_1]

Our guide is updated as soon as a new European strike is announced.

Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.

Walkouts are sometimes planned months ahead but others are announced last minute, showing that it always pays to check before you travel.

Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below.

Read on to find out where and when are walkouts taking place.

If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you will be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.

UK: Heathrow Border Force worker strikes in April and May

Border Force workers at London’s Heathrow Airport plan to walk out from 29 April to 2 May over plans to lay off staff.

This could cause major disruption for international flights. A smaller scale ‘work to rule’ strike between 3-18 May could cause further disruption.

Heathrow flights could also be grounded on 4-6 May as 50 refuelling workers stage a 72-hour strike over cuts to their benefits.

Train strikes in April

While there is no national train strike planned in the UK, various localised action is planned for April.

From 15-20 April, strikes by the ASLEF union will affect Northern rail services. And on 20 April, an ASLEF walkout will impact LNER trains.

Gatwick Airport: Catering workers to strike on easyJet and TUI flights

Passengers on easyJet and TUI flights departing from London’s Gatwick Airport will be left hungry as Dnata catering workers go on strike.

Around 100 workers, including HGV drivers and warehouse workers, will strike from 26-29 April, 3-6 May and 10-13 May. Strike action will intensify if the dispute over pay is not resolved, the Unite union has threatened.

Belgium: Strikes threatened at Charleroi Airport

Brussels’ Charleroi Airport has issued a strike warning that lasts until the end of April.

Catering staff and baggage handlers are expected to walk out at the start of May if their concerns over working conditions are not addressed.

France: Air traffic controllers threaten to walk out in April

French airports could be hit by air traffic control strikes on Thursday 25 April as workers protest restructuring of their services.

Workers have until Tuesday to announce whether they will be involved in the walk out, but it is thought that it could affect up to 70 per cent of flights at major airports.

Could strikes hit Paris Olympics?

CGT-RATP union members announced a seven-month strike notice from 5 February to 9 September that could hit the Ile-de-France bus and metro network – including during this summer’s Olympic Games.

However, the French Senate adopted a bill on 9 April to allow the state to ban transport strikes for set periods each year to avoid disruption during major events like Paris 2024. It also calls for more advance warning of strikes and increased minimum service obligations.

The bill faces opposition and must be adopted by the French National Assembly before it becomes law.

Workers at the state-owned public transport company say they are walking out over pay.

Germany: Threat of various strikes ends

On 25 March, Deutsche Bahn reached an agreement with Germany’s GDL train drivers’ union, bringing an end to five months of negotiations and strikes.

The deal means that GDL will abstain from strikes until at least February 2026.

German union Verdi has also called off strikes at various German airports after reaching a pay deal.

If you know of a big strike happening in your country that we have missed, we’d love to hear from you via Twitter.