Gatwick Airport workers have announced they will be going on strike for several days around the beginning of the summer holidays.

Almost 1,000 members of staff, including baggage handlers and check-in staff, will walk out in a dispute over pay.

Significant disruption, delays and cancellations are "inevitable", the Unite union has said.

The workers will strike initially for four days, starting on Friday, July 28 and ending on Tuesday, August 1.

After that, a further four days of strikes are scheduled from Friday, August 4 to Tuesday, August 8.

Wirral Globe: Unite has said delays and cancellations are to be expectedUnite has said delays and cancellations are to be expected (Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Negotiations break down between Unite and airport companies

Those involved in the strike are employed by ASC, Menzies Aviation, GGS and DHL Services, which conduct outsourced operations for airlines including ground handling, baggage handling, ramp agent, dispatchers, and check-in.

Unite said it has been in negotiations with the four companies since January but claimed they have failed to make offers that meet the workers’ expectations.

The union’s general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members at Gatwick Airport undertake incredibly demanding roles and are essential to keeping the airport and airlines working, yet their employers somehow think it is acceptable to pay them a pittance.

“As part of Unite’s unyielding focus on the jobs, pay and condition of its members, the union has drawn a line in the sand and is committed to eradicating the scourge of low pay at the airport.”

The strike by Gatwick Airport staff follows industrial action taken by security staff at Heathrow Airport in April and May.

They were also due to strike on 31 days between June and August, but that was called off thanks to an improved pay offer being made.