Article from BTNews 19 AUGUST 2019
Airport walk-out put on hold
A 48hr strike by operations staff at Heathrow called for next Friday and Saturday, 23-24 August, was called off last week so a new ballot can be held on an improved pay deal from the airport. The ballot closes on 2 September.
Heathrow welcomed the decision, adding: “We have put an additional £2.5m on the table since talks began, with our current offer bringing the total pay rise to 7.8% over two years ... well above RPI, and higher than any other UK airport.”
The dispute involves 4,000 security guards, firefighters, engineers, passenger service and airside operations staff across all five Heathrow terminals who are represented by the Unite union.
Talks have dragged on for weeks with strikes planned originally for 26-27 July and 5-6 August as well as next weekend but they have all been postponed amid negotiations with the Acas conciliation service.
The 26-27 July action walkout was called off on 24 July to allow a ballot on an initial new pay offer. This offer was rejected on 2 August but a new offer resulted in the 5-6 August walkout being called off the day before to allow time for the ballot.
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