Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
HEATHROW STRIKE AVERTED AS AGREEMENT REACHED
HEATHROW and union officials reached a last minute agreement to stop a walkout by airport workers yesterday (Tuesday).
Monday’s strike was called off on Sunday night, just hours before it was due to begin and the pattern repeated itself again with Tuesday’s strike cancelled late Monday afternoon.
Before being suspended, Heathrow said 177 departures would be cancelled across Monday and Tuesday.
Members of the Unite union were due to walk out from one minute past midnight on Monday for 48 hours.
The two sides met throughout the weekend under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas, and further talks took place on Monday.
Unite said talks involved senior directors from Heathrow and senior officials from the union “with the aim of averting a second day of planned strike action”.
The dispute arose after union members, including security staff, firefighters and engineers, voted against a pay offer Heathrow said was worth 7.3% over two-and-a-half years.
A Heathrow spokesman said: “Unite will now take an improved offer to its members and we remain hopeful that we can find a resolution and stop this disruptive and unnecessary threat of strike action.
“We regret that passengers have been inconvenienced by this and urge them to contact their airline for up-to-date information on the status of their service.”
Heathrow said its pay package was above RPI inflation, “competitive and fair”.
“This is higher than the pay increases recently offered to public sector staff and Heathrow’s own managerial colleagues at 2.4%,” said a spokesman.
Once Monday’s strike was suspended, British Airways reinstated flights from Heathrow, as did Air Canada, Aer Lingus, Etihad Airways, Flybe and TAP Air Portugal. However, Virgin Atlantic moved flights from Heathrow to Gatwick, as did Qatar, which also cancelled two flights. Among the airlines to cancel flights on Monday were Lufthansa and Swiss, which scrapped three each.
Heathrow recommends passengers contact their airlines, both in the days leading up to their flight and before setting off for the airport. Passengers should also check if their flights out of Heathrow are affected or cancelled by contacting their airline. “Our advice to every passenger is to be in the terminal at Heathrow two hours before your scheduled departure for UK and European flights, and three hours for all other flights, even if you already have your boarding pass before arriving at the airport and are only travelling with hand luggage,” a Heathrow spokesman said.
We remain hopeful that we can find a resolution and stop this disruptive and unnecessary threat of strike action