be affected.
Wayne King, Unite’s regional officer, said: “Heathrow faces a compensation bill in the region of £4.6m
from airlines if the planned strikes go ahead. Rather than provoking the disruption that strike action will
cause, we would urge Heathrow airport to use this money for an improved pay offer that better reflects the
hard work of the workers who keep the airport running safely and smoothly.
“This latest vote for strike action points to growing anger among the airport’s workers in a whole range of
vital jobs which are essential to the smooth and safe running of Heathrow. Airport bosses need to heed this
latest strike vote and the overwhelming rejection by our members of the revised pay offer which offers little
over and above the original offer of £3.75 extra a day for many workers.”
A Heathrow spokesman said: “We are disappointed that Unite has rejected the latest pay offer and will
continue to seek an agreement at Acas. Unite is proceeding with its unnecessary strike action on August 5
and 6, and we regret that passengers looking to get away on well-earned breaks will be impacted by this.”
A separate pay dispute is ongoing between British Airways (BA) and its pilots, who are asking for higher
salaries. Nearly 4,000 pilots who work for British Airways and belong to the British Airline Pilots’
Association (Balpa) have voted overwhelmingly to reject a pay deal that BA says is worth 11.5 per cent over
three years.
“Nobody wants the uncertainty that strike action delivers to the business,” said Willie Walsh, CEO of
British Airways’ parent company IAG. “I think the pay offer is a fair deal.”
If talks break down, a strike could begin as early as 17 August.
The threatened strike and the scheduled Unite industrial action comes at a busy time for Heathrow, with
terminals packed with members of the public jetting off on their summer holidays.