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Heathrow workers threaten Christmas strike
About 4,000 Heathrow workers are threatening to strike over Christmas after rejecting the airport’s holiday pay offer.
Security staff, firefighters, airfield operators and engineers are also angry at cuts to early start payments and the airport’s threat to remove members of staff who take part in industrial action from its shares scheme.
After 94% of its members voted to reject the company’s latest offer in a consultative ballot, their union Unite has warned Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) that it plans to ballot its membership on full industrial action, which it says could cause travel chaos for passengers over Christmas.
The ballot will open on Wednesday September 27 and close around Wednesday October 18.
Unite regional coordinating officer Wayne King said: "HAL needs to sit up and take notice. Instead of ‘making every journey better’, Heathrow is ‘making every worker poorer’ in its bullying bid to cheat staff out of their full holiday pay, and cuts to long standing terms and conditions.
"We are deeply disappointed that, despite many months of trying to settle this dispute, including at the conciliation service, Acas, HAL has flatly rejected several of the union’s reasonable proposals. This has left us with no option, but to proceed to a full industrial action ballot now.
"With over 94 per cent voting to reject, our members have sent a very clear message that they will not be bullied into accepting a shoddy offer that leaves them out of pocket. They work in safety critical roles, without them, air and groundside operations will grind to a halt.
"We would urge HAL to get back around the table to reach a genuinely negotiated settlement on all of the issues. Otherwise major disruption is on the cards during the hectic Christmas period when hundreds of thousands of people will be getting away for sun and skiing as well as visiting family and friends."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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