London Heathrow Strikes Could Affect More Than 5000 Flights

Dispute regarding the salaries of airport staff is once again the reason behind the strike.

Heathrow Airport’s security staff has announced another round of strikes in May, potentially disrupting thousands of flights. Dispute over the salaries of Heathrow workers has resulted in multiple strikes in the past, and the latest one follows a 10-day strike from March 31st to Easter Sunday in which British Airways had to cancel some flights.

Another strike

Unite Union has announced another round of strikes at London Heathrow Airport lasting for eight days in May. The airport security staff are preparing for a walkout from May 4th to 6th, 9th to 10th, and 25th to 27th. Around 1,400 Heathrow staff are expected to participate in the strike.

The timing of the strike is of concern as it could lead to disruption of services and cancellations during the busy summer travel month as well as for the King’s Coronation on May 6th.

Salary issues

Failed negotiation regarding staff pay is the cause of the planned walkout. Unite has issued strong statements in the past about airport workers not being happy with their salary structure. The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, has now commented,

“Yet again, we have a chief executive who thinks it is acceptable to boost his earnings while he denies his own workers a decent pay rise. This dispute is bound to escalate with more workers being balloted and disruption set to continue throughout the summer.”

Heathrow’s response

The airport’s management has said that it had offered security officers a 10% pay rise effective January 1st, plus a one-off payment of more than £1,150. But the union has turned it down, saying that a “small one-off lump sum” will not be enough to alleviate the financial pressures of the workers.

Unite’s regional coordinating officer, Wayne King, said that the members are clear on their demand for a substantial and permanent pay raise and called Heathrow’s refusal to meet the demand stubborn. The airport’s spokesperson responded,

Cirium data reveals that a total of 5,148 flights are scheduled to depart on the days of the strike, of which 2,621 are scheduled to be operated by British Airways. The airline will likely keep its long-haul operations running, but some of its high-frequency domestic and European flights could be affected.

Source: Simple Flying