Chessington World of Adventures faces ride closures during engineers' bank holiday strikes
Engineers at Chessington World of Adventures will stage a series of walkouts - including during the King's coronation weekend - in a dispute over pay.
The strikes will mean the southwest London theme park faces ride closures this spring, the Unite union has said.
It is among several strikes set for the coronation weekend - including by traffic wardens and Heathrow Airport security staff - potentially causing disruption at a time when hundreds of thousands are set to travel to London for the historic event.
Engineers at Chessington are due to strike between April 28 and May 1, and then again from May 5 to May 8.
A third walkout is set for May 12 and May 15, and a fourth is scheduled for May 26 to May 29, Unite has said.
The union says Merlin Attractions, which operates Chessington World of Adventures, is attempting to impose a real-terms pay cut on its workers.
Engineers are seeking a pay increase in line with RPI inflation, which currently stands at 13.5%.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Merlin Attractions is an extremely wealthy company which is anticipating a bumper year.
"It can fully afford to make a fair pay offer to its workers, but it has chosen not to do so.
“The engineers are critical to the safe and smooth operation of Chessington, so their employer should be rewarding them for their vital work instead of seeking to impose a real-terms pay cut.”
Unite regional officer Lui D’Cunha said: “Strike action will inevitably cause a huge amount of disruption at Chessington and it will greatly affect the experience of customers, however this dispute is entirely of the company’s own making.
"It has been given every opportunity to make workers a fair pay offer, but has refused to do so.”
On its website, Chessington World of Adventures says in response to the walkouts: "We fully respect their right to strike and remain committed to reaching an agreement to resolve the matter.
"We want to reassure all guests that the Resort will remain OPEN on the days impacted, however, we will reduce the number of guests we welcome each day by two thirds.
"As a result, we’ve temporarily taken tickets off sale for the dates above, while we directly contact guests due to visit or stay on the days impacted with options for their booking. Guests can expect to hear from us on Thursday April 20."
The theme park warned that although the zoo will remain open and that various entertainment performances will still be running, some rides will be closed.
Some white-knuckle rides including Dragon’s Fury, Croc Drop, KOBRA, Rattlesnake and Tiger Rock are expected to shut.
Chessington says its aim is to open 40% or more of its rides during strike days - mainly ones more suited to younger families.
Opening hours will also be reduced slightly during walkouts from 10am to 5pm, while ride queue lines will close at 4pm. The zoo and entertainment will continue until 5pm.
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