Escalating Industrial Action Spreads to Additional Terminals, Leading to Growing Disruption for Multiple Airlines.
Impending Summer Travel Chaos as Heathrow Airport Security Officers Prepare for 31-Day Strike During Peak Holiday Season.
In an unprecedented move, Terminal Three security officers, who recently voted in favour of a strike, will now unite with their counterparts from Terminal Five and campus security, intensifying the impact on travel operations.
The intensification of the prolonged pay dispute signifies a notable increase in the number of airlines that will encounter “disruption, delays, and cancellations,” as stated by the Unite union. While the walkout at Terminal Five was initially anticipated to substantially impact British Airways’ summer operations, the involvement of Terminal Three security officers implies that Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Qatar Airways, United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines could now also encounter challenges.
The strike dates have been strategically scheduled to coincide with significant events such as the Eid festival towards the end of June, the commencement of school holidays in July, and the summer bank holiday weekend spanning from the 24th to the 27th of August.
The planned strikes are set to take place on the following dates:
- 24, 25, 28, 29 and 30 June
- 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30 and 31 July
- 4, 5, 6 , 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, and 27 August
Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, commented: “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.
“[Heathrow] 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.”
According to a statement from Unite, the dispute has the potential to escalate in the upcoming weeks. The security staff has already rejected a 10.1 percent pay offer, with the union emphasizing that wages have experienced a real-term decline of 24 percent since 2017.
In response, Heathrow officials have swiftly moved to reassure passengers who have travel plans from the UK’s busiest airport this summer.
A Heathrow spokesperson stated: “Passengers can rest assured that we will do everything we can to minimise strike disruption so they can enjoy their hard-earned summer holidays. Unite has already tried and failed to disrupt the airport with unnecessary strikes on some of our busiest days and we continue to build our plans to protect journeys during any future action. The simple fact remains that the majority of colleagues do not support Unite’s strikes. There is a two-year inflation-beating pay rise ready for colleagues, if only Unite would allow them to have a say. We will continue talks with Unite about resolving this issue.”
A previous three-day strike took place at the end of May, aligning with what was anticipated to be the busiest day for air travel in the UK since 2019. The strike also coincided with a significant IT failure experienced by British Airways. Prior to this, a series of 15-day strikes occurred over the Easter period earlier this year.
In a recent statement, the union highlighted the presence of “widespread bitterness” among the staff regarding their treatment, as the two parties engaged in a dispute over pay comparisons with workers at other airports in London.
Passengers using Terminals 2 and 4 are expected to be unaffected by the strike action.