Around 700 workers at London’s Heathrow Airport will go to strike for three days from November 18 over a pay dispute, the Unite Union said.
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The strike at London’s busiest air travel hub will coincide with the start of the World Cup in Qatar on November 20 and thousands of football fans may be affected.
“Workers employed by Dnata and Menzies at Heathrow will take three days of strike action beginning on Friday 18 November, in a dispute over pay,†the Unite said in a statement.
“The strike action will begin in the early hours of Friday 18 November and it will be completed in the early hours of Monday 21 November,†the statement said.
“It will lead to disruption, cancellations and delays at Heathrow terminals 2, 3 and 4. The strike action will particularly affect Qatar Airways, which has scheduled an additional 10 flights a week during the World Cup."
The industrial action will involve 700 employees, including ground-handling, airside transport and cargo workers.
“Our members at Dnata and Menzies undertake highly challenging roles and are simply seeking a decent pay rise," said Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham.
"Both companies are highly profitable and can fully afford to make a fair pay increase. The owners and directors are simply lining their own pockets rather than paying their workers fairly. The workers at Heathrow will have Unite’s complete support during this dispute.â€
The World Cup will start in Qatar on November 20 and end with the final game on December 18.
Other leading airlines that will be hit heavily by the strike action include Virgin, Singapore Airlines, Cathay-Pacific and Emirates. Passengers returning to the United States for the Thanksgiving holiday are also set to be adversely affected.
Both Dnata and Menzies have only been prepared to offer pay cuts disguised as pay increases. Dnata has offered its workers a five per cent increase, while the offers for Menzies workers vary between two and six per cent. All the offers are far below the real rate of inflation (RPI), which currently stands at 12.6 per cent.
Both companies operate globally and are highly lucrative. Menzies’ latest accounts reveal it made a profit of £69 million while Dnata’s profit was £27 million. ■