GMB union has announced the suspension of proposed strikes at Stansted Airport this Easter weekend, after agreeing to begin talks with conciliation service ACAS.

Baggage handlers employed by Swissport had voted in favour of strikes over proposed changes to shift patterns a couple of weeks ago. Swissport said the changes were to avoid job losses as revenues had fallen, but GMB official, Gary Pearce, said the union had offered several alternatives, and that its members “consider that Swissport is attempting to make savings at their expense and they are not willing to agree to this.”