Security guards at London's Heathrow airport to strike in May

Security guards at London's Heathrow airport to strike in May

Workers at London's Heathrow Airport will walk out on strike again next month
Workers at London's Heathrow Airport will walk out on strike again next month. Photo: Adrian DENNIS / AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel!

Security guards at London's Heathrow airport will strike for a further eight days next month in a dispute over pay, their union announced Wednesday, as various UK industrial action rumbles on.

Around 1,400 security officers, who walked out for 10 days over Easter, will stage their latest stoppage at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on May 4-6, 9-10 and 25-27, the Unite union said.

It warned of "inevitable disruption and delays", as the start of the walkout coincides with people expected to travel to the UK for King Charles' coronation on May 6.

The announcement comes on the same day Britain's Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed UK inflation held stubbornly above 10 percent last month, further fuelling the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

It has prompted strike action by various public and private sector workers, from nurses to port workers, as the double digit inflation rates of the past year spark demands for increased wages.

Read also

German union calls for new rail strike Friday

"Our members have been crystal clear they are seeking a substantial permanent increase in pay," Unite regional officer Wayne King said of his members' dispute with Heathrow.

PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app!

The airport's management insist they have been engaged in talks with Unite for months and had improved a 10 percent pay rise offer with a further £1,150 lump sum this year.

Heathrow claims Unite is refusing to put the revised offer to its members.

An airport spokesperson said Terminal Five's operations ran "smoothly" during the previous industrial action and that "passengers can have confidence that we will do so again this time".

"We will not let Unite disrupt the flow of visitors to the UK during such an important period for the country," the spokesperson added.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.