Catering workers will strike for forty-eight hours starting tomorrow evening (5 July) as part of their campaign for higher pay.

Avanti contracts out its catering services to DHL, which has not offered its workers a pay rise despite the cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation. DHL has claimed that it cannot afford a rise despite the fact its global business was worth £81bn last year. In 2021, it paid its shareholders £1.7 billion in dividends.

Avanti paid its owners, FirstGroup, £13.5 million in dividends last year from profits from the West Coast franchise.

The strike follows a vote by RMT members in DHL in May, in which two-thirds voted, 97.5% of whom voted to strike.

RMT has expressed its alarm that DHL management has sent communications to staff which it describes as “using an intimidatory tone”, ordering not to speak to the media about the strike.

The 48 hour strike starts at 10pm on Wednesday 5 July and ends at 9.59pm Friday 7 July.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “DHL members want pay justice from an employer who can easily settle this dispute with a decent offer.

“It is the workers at DHL in catering and elsewhere that create the combined billions in wealth that shareholders and directors at the company enjoy.

“Our members are determined and resolute and will not be swayed from taking more action in the future by threatening letters from a greedy company.”