Heathrow workers announce strike action for almost every weekend from mid-June to the end of August
7 June 2023, 11:52
Heathrow workers will walk out for almost every weekend from mid-June to the end of August amid an ongoing dispute over pay.
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Unite said the 31 days of strike action will begin on Saturday 24 June and involve over 2,000 security officers.
It will mark the first time officers at security officers at Terminal 3 also walk out with Terminal Five and campus security, after having voted for strike action last week.
The move comes amid a long-running dispute over pay which has led to previous industrial action.
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Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "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.
"HAL 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."
Read more: Ryanair cancels 400 flights across Europe as air traffic controllers go on strike in France
A Heathrow spokesperson said: "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."
The workers will be on strike on June 24, 25, 28, 29 and 30 and July 14-16, 21-24, 28-31 and August 4-7, 11-14, 18-20 and 24-27.
The strikes will coincide with the beginning of the school holidays and the August bank holiday.
