No food or drink will be available on any easyJet flight leaving Gatwick airport during strikes by catering contractors over pay, according to the union behind the industrial action.

The strikes by caterer Dnata’s staff, which will also impact other airlines including TUI, are over the company’s unilateral removal of a shift allowance for all staff last April. The Unite union has said that the move has led to all Dnata’s workers receiving a pay cut of between £1,500 and £2,000 a worker.

According to the union, the Emirates Group-owned inflight catering firm has claimed that Unite agreed to the removal as part of a deal that saw the introduction of a night shift premium.

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Around 100 workers, including HGV drivers and warehouse workers, will strike from Friday 26 April to Monday 29 April, from Friday 3 May to Monday 6 May and from Friday 10 May to Monday 13 May. Strike action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved.

Dnata caters for all easyJet flights from Gatwick, with the airline having 200 flights a day during busy periods, meaning there will no food or drink available on any of the airlines’ flights from the airport between those dates. The lack of food and drink will affect easyJet’s revenue as the sale of snacks and beverages on flights is a major income generator. Other flights will also be impacted as Dnata caters for several other Gatwick-based airlines, including TUI.

Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: “Dnata’s behaviour has been atrocious. It beggars’ belief that the company thought it could take its workers for fools and deal with them in such an underhand manner. It has pushed the workforce into taking strike action and is responsible for the inconvenience it will cause to easyJet and TUI passengers. Dnata needs to rapidly return to talks with Unite and put forward a settlement that is acceptable to our members.”

Dnata Catering UK responded to Unite’s statement, saying that the union had acted too early. “We are surprised and disappointed by the premature statement issued by trade union Unite regarding a proposed industrial action at London Gatwick airport, stemming from a single point of disagreement where consensus has yet to be reached,” the caterer said in a statement. “We remain committed and open to constructive dialogue and are confident that this matter will be resolved. In the meantime, we are keeping our valued customers informed throughout this process.”

Updated to include comment from Dnata Catering UK