BA workers at Heathrow to strike during school summer holidays in pay row

British Airways workers at Heathrow have voted to strike during the school summer holidays in a dispute over pay.

It means 700 members of staff are set to walk out during the peak travel period, which runs from mid-July to the beginning of September.

Workers, including check-in staff, are yet to decide on exact dates, but holidaymakers have been warned to expect significant disruption.

The GMB union said a 10% pay cut imposed by BA during the Covid pandemic has still not been restored.

Workers are also angry over the airline’s use of ‘fire and rehire’ practices as a way of cutting pay during the outbreak.

Heathrow is currently taking in two-thirds of the passenger levels it had before Covid hit.

After laying off too many employees before the pandemic, many airlines and airports are now struggling with a surge in demand for overseas travel.

Recently an issue with the baggage system at Heathrow saw an ‘an enormous luggage carpet’ at Terminal 2, which staff struggled to get under control.

As demand picks up, Heathrow now expects adjusted profits to rise 257% from last year to £1.4billion.

GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: ‘With grim predictability, holidaymakers face massive disruption thanks to the pig-headedness of British Airways.

‘BA have tried to offer our members crumbs from the table in the form of a 10% one-off bonus payment, but this doesn’t cut the mustard.

‘Our members need to be reinstated the 10% they had stolen from them last year with full back pay and the 10% bonus which other colleagues have been paid.

‘GMB members at Heathrow have suffered untold abuse as they deal with the travel chaos caused by staff shortages and IT failures.

‘At the same time, they’ve had their pay slashed during BA’s callous fire and rehire policy.

‘What did BA think was going to happen? It’s not too late to save the summer holidays – other BA workers have had their pay cuts reversed.

‘Do the same for ground and check-in staff and this industrial action can be nipped in the bud.’

Unite officer Russ Ball said: ‘The problems British Airways is facing are entirely of its own making. It brutally cut jobs and pay during the pandemic even though the Government was paying them to save jobs.

‘In the case of this dispute, they have insulted this workforce, slashing pay by 10% only to restore it to managers but not to our members.

‘BA is treating its loyal workforce as second class citizens and they will not put up with it a moment longer.

‘Strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption to BA’s services at Heathrow.

‘The company has a short window of opportunity to reinstate our members’ pay before strikes are called. I urge BA not to squander that opportunity.’

Members of the GMB voted by 91% in favour of industrial action while Unite said 94% of its members backed action.

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