Around 1,400 members of Unite, the UK's largest trade union, are set to go on strike at Heathrow Airport on Friday after last-minute talks with airport management failed to resolve a pay
dispute. The strikes, which will last for ten days, including most of the Easter weekend, will likely disrupt school holiday travel for passengers. Picket lines will be set up across the airport, including Terminal 5, used exclusively by British Airways, and campus security guards responsible for checking all cargo entering the airport.
According to Unite, the talks broke down because Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) failed to substantially improve its pay offer, despite the airport being able to afford it. The union claims that HAL offered what amounts to a real-terms pay cut to its security guards and ground staff who are already on poverty pay. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham accused Heathrow executives of thinking it's acceptable to offer poverty pay to workers, despite the company being about to return to bumper profits.
Unite regional co-ordinating officer Wayne King stated that HAL has thrown away the opportunity to avoid strikes, accusing the airport of stubbornly refusing to pay its workers fairly. Unite members are demanding an above-inflation 10% pay increase back-dated to January 1 and a lump sum payment of £1,150. Heathrow claimed that it had offered an improved deal to its workers, which Unite refused to take to its members. The airport said that colleagues could have received a 10% pay increase and a lump sum payment of £1,150, but Unite's refusal to take the improved offer to members left them empty-handed.
Heathrow assured passengers that contingency plans are in place to deal with the strike action, including deploying 1,000 additional colleagues and the entire management team to provide assistance to passengers during the Easter getaway. The airport has also asked passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport, arrive no earlier than two hours before short-haul flights and three hours before long-haul flights, and be ready for security checks with compliant liquids and electronics out of their hand luggage. Heathrow stated that, as with any busy time, it may take a little longer than usual to get through security during the strikes.
The strikes will undoubtedly cause disruption to passengers and flights at Heathrow Airport, which is one of the busiest airports in the world. However, Unite has promised to provide its members with unswerving support in their fight for a decent deal. The union has a laser-like focus on its members' jobs, pay, and conditions, and will continue to demand fair pay for Heathrow's security guards and ground staff. Photo by Ed Webster, Wikimedia commons.