Fury at Heathrow plan to cut wages
UNION bosses have accused Britain’s busiest airport of an attack on employees’ pay and conditions – using the pandemic as an excuse.
According to Unite, Heathrow wants to cut wages by up to 37 per cent and close its final salary pension scheme while blocking an agreed four per cent pay rise in January.
The union said it had been told that failure to agree would see the entire workforce sacked and rehired on poorer terms and conditions.
Unite, which represents 4,500 workers at Heathrow, said that at the beginning of March the airport paid out dividends totalling £100million to shareholders, including the oil-rich Qatari royal family.
Wayne King, its regional co-ordinating officer, said: “Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) does not need to make these cuts permanent – they want to. This is about pure greed and not need.
“These are not well-paid workers, but they have worked extremely hard to make Heathrow the highly profitable airport it is today.
“To attack their pay and conditions in this way and under the cover of the health crisis is a disgraceful act from a business with billions in the bank.
“Unite has tried to negotiate an acceptable compromise but these have been rejected outright.
“Our members have continued to work on the front line throughout the pandemic, potentially placing their health and that of their family at risk, to protect the interests of the airport.
“As a thank you HAL wants to slash workers’ pay and conditions.
“If HAL is not prepared to return to the negotiating table… Unite will seek to resolve this attack on its members through whatever industrial, political and legal channels necessary.”
Since March, many airlines have grounded their flights and, as air travel resumes, Britain has imposed a 14-day quarantine on anyone entering the country.
Airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are implementing thousands of redundancies.
Last night Heathrow said talks were at an early stage.
A spokesman said: “Our main priority is to protect jobs and we have put forward an initial proposal that we believe is fair, gives colleagues choice, and reflects the severity of the situation we all face.”
He added: “We must adapt to the new passenger numbers and change the way we work to become more flexible, agile and competitive so we are fit for the future.”