Baggage handlers and check-in staff at Gatwick have voted to take industrial action to stop changes to work practices.

The GMB union accused ground-handling agent Aviance of using bully-boy tactics to railroad through new flexible working and revised shift patterns.

Union organiser Gary Smith said hundreds of jobs could be lost and accused the company of planning further cuts.

The dispute comes weeks after Aviance staff voted to avert industrial action and accept a 4.2 per cent pay offer.

The company, which employs 900 people at Gatwick, said "harmonisation" talks with unions at all its UK airports were continuing.

Aviance had already announced it intended to make an unspecified number of redundancies at Gatwick as part of a recovery plan because of contract losses and increased costs.

Unions said more than 200 jobs would be lost, double the agreed number of voluntary redundancies.

Mr Smith said: "We all accept there are real challenges in the growth of low-cost airlines and such like. It seems ridiculous we may be forced to picket the company back to the negotiating table.

"Bad managers invariably turn to bullying tactics. This is potentially a seminal dispute and the GMB is determined in its resolve."

He said the union was in talks with Aviance staff at other airports about changes to work patterns but Gatwick was its biggest base.

Group communications manager Chris Hudson said unions had made no official approaches about potential industrial action.

"We are currently undertaking harmonisation negotiations. Because we are still going through this, we don't want to talk about the negotiations."