Stansted Airport 'braced for strike action'

Baggage handlers in Stansted Airport are to go on strike for seven days.

This is due to a dispute over the introduction of a new roster that will see employees expected to work a five-day week, instead of the previous four-day system.

Part of the industrial action is set to fall across the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend -  which gets underway on June 2nd - and so UK flights are set to be affected greatly by the move.

The staff involved in the action are employed by ground service company Swissport and it will primarily be Ryanair flights affected, as well as some Thomas Cook and Thomson passengers.

In order to prepare for the strike, the low-cost Irish airline Ryanair is going to continue all flights, but only cabin hold luggage will be allowed.

Swissport general manager Richard Prince told the BBC: "Swissport wants to avoid redundancies. The proposed changes to working patterns mean we will avoid job losses."