Heathrow Airport strikes ahead of August Bank Holiday have been suspended
THE strikes planned for Heathrow Airport later this month have now been suspended, Unite the union has confirmed.
It will have come as a huge relief for passengers who are due to fly from the hub ahead of the August Bank Holiday.
The strikes have been suspended after a new pay offer was put on the table.
Heathrow staff represented by Unite now have until September 2 to vote although at present there are no more planned strike dates at the airport.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We’re pleased that Unite has postponed the strike action scheduled for 23 and 24 August to give union members the time to consider our revised offer.
“We have put an additional £2.5 million on the table since talks began, with our current offer bringing the total pay rise to 7.8 per cent over two years for all frontline colleagues. This is well above RPI, higher than any other UK airport and helps to provide long term wage certainty and job security.
“Heathrow has a duty to ensure the business is sustainable – particularly against the backdrop of increasing economic uncertainty facing the UK in the immediate future. The pay offer we have put on the table achieves that, in addition to being rewarding and fair to all colleagues.”
The strikes were first announced last month as a part of a series of strikes in July and August.
The dates were originally set to be Friday July 26 and Saturday July 27, Monday August 5 and Tuesday August 6, and Friday August 23 and Saturday August 24.
The first two dates were suspended after a deal was proposed
Unite members rejected the deal on August 2 – and with just days to renegotiate, Heathrow worked with airlines to cancel 172 flights out of the airport, which rose to 177.
With the two parties still engaged in talks by late Sunday, Unite suspended its strike on Monday August 5 at the last minute.
A number of airlines reinstated the cancelled flights, although some routes remained cancelled, delayed or diverted.
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Late on August 5, both parties confirmed that the strike planned for Tuesday August 6 has been suspended as well after a new deal was offered.
However, because of the disruption, a number of flights were still cancelled or diverted on August 6.
The announcement left many Brits out of pocket and having to pay for last-minute flights to make their holiday.