The security staff at London’s Heathrow Airport launched a three-day strike on Thursday due to a dispute over pay cuts and hikes. Members of the United Kingdom’s trade and workers union, Unite, have already staged 15 days of industrial action to protest against the airport bosses. The strike was held even during the busy Easter period.
However, the Heathrow authorities have assured passengers that contingency plans are in place to keep the airport open and operating as usual.
What is the reason behind the protest?
The union, Unite, says that the strike is part of the action taken over the “poverty wages” paid by the airport, which has caused the staff to suffer a real-terms pay cut of 24 percent since 2017, as per a Daily Mail report.
About 1,400 workers held three days of walkouts in May after the crucial pay talks between Unite and airport authorities collapsed.
“Unite has given Heathrow Airport every opportunity to make an improved pay offer, which could have led to the strike action being suspended. Sadly, they refused to grasp the opportunity to make an offer which could meet members’ expectations,” Unite regional coordinating officer Wayne King said in an official release.
On the other hand, Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye has claimed that the airport made a generous 10 percent increase offer to provide a substantial increase to the staff. He added that Unite’s delays mean non-union colleagues and most colleagues who voted to accept the offer are losing out, the Independent reported.
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However, Unite has countered that the 10 percent offer is not enough keeping in the account that inflation is 13 percent. Inflation combined with several years of pay freezes has amounted to a pay cut that has left workers struggling to make ends meet.
What will be the impact of the strike?
Since the May half-term is one of the busiest times for travel in the UK, passengers at Heathrow can expect longer than usual time to get through security.
However, as reported by the Independent, chief executive John Holland-Kaye has assured that “Passengers should not be concerned about strike action by Unite over the half-term getaway.”
Airport authorities said that they had put contingency plans into action to keep services running, and an additional 750 staff from other areas have been deployed. However, they have also warned the passengers to expect disruption, including longer waits.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: May 25, 2023 11:25 AM IST
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