Air passengers travelling from Stansted Airport face possible disruption tomorrow as 33 baggage screeners go on a 24-hour strike.

GMB union leaders said the strike was now “inevitable” because the employer, Airfield Services, has refused to join it in talks at the conciliation service Acas.

The company rejects the union’s claim, saying it is ready to talk and it is working hard to avert the strike. There have been no talks between the two sides since the threat to strike was announced last week.

The dispute arose after workers rejected a pay rise offer of 1.5 per cent. The scanner operators earn an average of £6.58 per hour and are responsible for high-level security checks, scanning up to 300 bags an hour which are rejected by the automated belts.

Paul Kenny, GMB general secretary, said: “It is an act of gross irresponsibility that a contractor engaged in operating an airport is refusing an offer of conciliation to resolve a long-standing pay dispute.”

The union said it was hoping for a deal similar to the four percent settlement reached with airport staff and service company Swissport earlier this week.

The agreement was reached after lengthy talks at Acas, leading to the cancellation of other airport strikes that threatened bank holiday travel chaos.

The disputes, involving members of the GMB and Unite, would have led to passengers facing 24-hour strikes at Gatwick and Stansted on bank holiday Monday and on Friday August 29 as well as 24-hour strikes at Manchester on Wednesday August 27 and Monday September 1.

Airfield Services is part of the same group as Gate Gourmet which was involved in a bitter dispute in 2005 with catering workers at Heathrow airport which caused travel chaos.

Before yesterday’s allegation from the GMB, Airfield Services said it was liaising with Acas and the GMB but added: “As of now the protest is still going ahead.”

A spokesman said: “We are working hard to avert a strike and to conclude the current pay discussions. However, we have full contingency arrangements in place to ensure that the usual high standard of security is maintained with minimal disruption for passengers.”

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