Security staff call off first wave of summer strike action after new pay offer

Security staff at Heathrow Airport have called off the first two days of a planned summer-long strike action after receiving a pay offer.

Trade union Unite said the walkout by over 2,000 security officers would not go ahead next week “as a gesture of goodwill” due to an improved pay offer by the airport – though a further 29 days of strike action are still on the table for this summer if members reject the offer.

The strike action was due to kick off on 24 and 25 June and hit Heathrow almost every week until the end of August.

But Unite regional co-ordinating officer Wayne King said: “Following extensive negotiations last week a new offer was put forward by [Heathrow].

“Members will now be balloted on the latest offer and they will decide whether or not it meets their expectations.”

The pay offer includes a 10 per cent pay increase backdated to 1 January, which will rise to an 11.5 per cent increase from October, and a guarantee of an inflation-linked pay increase for 2024.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We are pleased to have agreed a pay deal which unions are recommending their members to accept.

“This a great deal for colleagues, giving them two years of guaranteed above-inflation pay rises, alongside further benefits and assurances that they told us they wanted.

“We encourage them to accept the deal so that everyone can have certainty and the backdated pay increase that so many have been waiting for. While a ballot takes place, the first weekend of strikes has been cancelled.”

Union bosses previously rejected a pay increase of 10 per cent at the airport, claiming it “does not address the decline in their pay” from inflation.

If the fresh offer is rejected by Unite members, strike action will now begin with a three-day walkout from 28 June.

Related Article

Despite Unite warning of “delays, disruption and cancellations” for travellers across the Eid festival and busy summer period, airport bosses have insisted the impact on travellers will be minimal with “no flight cancellations” if the strike goes.

During previous strikes, the airport’s “robust contingency plans” have included deploying office staff to assist passengers entering security checkpoints.

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “We have delivered excellent service to passengers, with no cancellations, over eight days of strikes on the busiest days in May, and do not anticipate cancellations as a result of strikes during the summer holiday getaway.”

Workers at Glasgow Airport gave their backing to a pay deal on Monday that will see them receive a 7 per cent pay rise plus a £1,000 one-off payment, upping pressure on others to resolve pay disputes.

Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, added the deal “should also serve as an example to all the other companies who refuse to make a fair pay offer to their workforce that there is another way of doing business,” adding: “If they want to escalate these pay disputes then our members are fully prepared to fight for what they deserve.”