Pay strikes announced at Heathrow as airport set for summer of strife

Unite announces industrial action set for almost every weekend from mid-June to the end of August

Unite the union has announced a major escalation of its dispute with Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) over low pay.

The union has announced 31 days of strike action beginning on Saturday 24 June (see notes to editors for full list below). The strikes will involve over 2,000 security officers.

For the first time security officers based at Terminal Three, who voted for strike action last week, will join their colleagues from Terminal Five and campus security on the picket line. Campus security are responsible for checking all personnel and vehicles going airside.

The walkout by workers at Terminal Three will result in a large number of airlines facing the prospect of disruption, delays and cancellations this summer. These include: Virgin, Emirates, Qatar, United, American and Delta. The extensive walkouts at Terminal Five will heavily affect British Airway’s summer schedule.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is putting Heathrow on notice that strike action at the airport will continue until it makes a fair pay offer to its workers. Make no mistake, our members will receive the union’s unflinching support in this dispute.

“HAL has got its priorities all wrong. This is an incredibly wealthy company, which this summer is anticipating bumper profits and an executive pay bonanza. It’s also expected to pay out huge dividends to shareholders, yet its workers can barely make ends meet and are paid far less than workers at other airports.”

The workers have rejected a below inflation pay offer of 10.1 per cent (the true rate of inflation, RPI, is currently 11.4 per cent). There is widespread bitterness among the workforce about how HAL used the cover of the pandemic to slash wages in real terms, using a ‘fire and rehire’ strategy. Unite’s research has revealed that since 2017, the average remuneration of HAL workers has fallen by 24 per cent in real terms.

Unite regional co-ordinating officer Wayne King said: “Delays, disruption and cancelations will be inevitable as a result of the strike action. But this dispute is completely of HAL’s own making.

“The company has been given numerous opportunities to make an offer that meets our members’ expectations and so avoid another period of damaging strike action. Sadly, HAL has stubbornly refused to take this opportunity.”

The dispute could further escalate in the coming weeks.