Industrial Action at Heathrow Airport: Hundreds of Workers Will Go on Strike in April and May
Heathrow Airport employees are getting ready to go on strike over changes they believe to be unjust, therefore the airport is expecting major inconveniences. The strikes, which would affect several airport departments, are planned for the end of April and into May.

During the scheduled walkouts, the Unite union has issued a warning about potential delays, disruptions, and grounded flights. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) trade union, which represents Border Force personnel, has scheduled a strike for April 29 to May 2. The strike is expected to have a significant impact on arrivals at terminals 2, 3, 4, and 5.

According to PCS national secretary Fran Heathcote, the conflict stems from revised roster plans that may result in the loss of jobs for some 250 Border Force employees at passport control. According to the union, people who have caregiving duties or impairments are disproportionately impacted by these changes.

The Home Office responded with a statement that acknowledged its disappointment but highlighted the advantages of the suggested changes, which would bring working conditions into line with those of other ports and give employees more regular schedules.

Additional strikes are scheduled, such as one involving refueling employees from May 4–6 and another major strike involving multiple departments from May 7–13. Unite asserts that the June 1st outsourcing of campus security, trolley operations, and passenger services is a cost-cutting move that may jeopardize security and safety.

Heathrow Airport said it has backup plans in place and is working with relevant stakeholders to minimize inconveniences. However, it is anticipated that the strikes would result in significant disruptions that will impact both travelers and airlines.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham stated in a statement, “Heathrow Airport’s actions are deplorable; it is raking in massive profits for the bosses while trying to squeeze every last penny out of its workforce.”

“Unite is fully focused on defending its members jobs, pay and conditions and our members at Heathrow will receive the union’s unrelenting support during this dispute.”

“We are reorganizing our operations to deliver better results for our customers,” a Heathrow official responded. These adjustments have not resulted in any job losses, and we are still in discussions with Unite about how to implement them for the few colleagues who will be affected.

Passengers shouldn’t worry too much about inconvenience, according to Heathrow, which criticized the strike action: “Unite’s threats of potential industrial action are unnecessary, and customers can be reassured that we will keep the airport operating smoothly, just like we have in the past.”

Heathrow claims that the strikes are only “threats,” but in the coming weeks, it’s likely that at least some of them will actually happen.