LATEST: Heathrow strike called off by dnata ground handlers after new pay offer
Hundreds of ground staff employed by a private contractor at Heathrow Airport will begin a 72-hour strike on Friday.
The 350 members of the Unite union working for Menzies will walk out from 4am.
“Unite’s members at Menzies play a critical role in ensuring that planes operate safely at Heathrow,” said the union's general secretary, Sharon Graham.
“Menzies is a wealthy company and it can fully afford to pay its workers a decent pay increase.
“Unite’s members at Menzies will receive the union’s comprehensive support.”
Unite said Menzies had made pay offers below Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation.
“The strike action will inevitably cause serious delays for passengers at Heathrow but this dispute is entirely of Menzies’s own making,” said Unite regional officer Kevin Hall.
“It has had every opportunity to make our members a fair pay offer, but it has stubbornly refused to do so.”
Decades of flight: Heathrow through the years — in pictures
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Heathrow Airport in London, the UK's busiest, has been a travel hub for decades. Here The National takes a look back at Heathrow through the years. All photos: Getty Images -
An Airco De Havilland biplane of the British airline, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, about to leave on the company’s inaugural flight from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, later known as Heathrow, to Le Bourget, Paris, in August 1919 -
Waterlogged runways at London Airport - Heathrow's original name - one week before it became Britain's main aerial gateway to the US in 1946 -
The new BOAC maintenance headquarters at London Airport circa 1955 -
The air traffic control room at the airport's new terminal in 1955 -
US film star Marilyn Monroe with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, after arriving at the airport in July 1956 -
An aerial view showing the runways in 1958 -
The arrivals and departures board in 1960 -
A new airport gift shop, selling items by Chanel, Wedgwood and Pringle of Scotland, in 1961 -
The Queen's Building and the No. 1 Building Europa at Heathrow in 1965 -
The Beatles leave Heathrow for Salzburg in Austria, to resume filming of the movie Help!, in 1965 -
Passenger terminal gates at Heathrow in 1966 -
Keith Granville, managing director of BOAC, holding up a model of the Boeing 747 jet, with the new aircraft hangars under construction in the background, at Heathrow in 1969 -
An aerial view of Heathrow in 1970 -
Passengers boarding the first BOAC Jumbo Jet 747 used for a commercial flight, from London Heathrow to New York, in 1971 -
Passengers going through the departure lounge at Heathrow in 1973 -
Concorde takes off from Heathrow on her first commercial flight for British Airways in 1976 -
Men at work finalising the Heathrow Central underground station before its opening in 1977 -
Queen Elizabeth II passing though the Tube gates at Heathrow Central station on its opening in 1977 -
An aerial view of Heathrow in 1978 -
Passengers waiting near a departures board in 1979 -
Holidaymakers waiting in the departure lounge at Terminal 3 of Heathrow in 1981 -
British Airways employees protesting at Heathrow in 1984 -
Passengers and staff observe a silence in Heathrow's Terminal One to mark the beginning of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 -
Rower Steve Redgrave at Heathrow with daughters Sophie and Natalie and son Zak after returning from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games with his gold medal -
Spectators watch the last Concorde land at Heathrow in 2003 -
Fans surround the coach carrying the England rugby team at Heathrow, as they arrived from Sydney after winning the World Cup in 2003 -
Heathrow's Terminal 2 in 2004 -
Passengers queue to check in at Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport during the Christmas 2006 and New Year period -
Passengers wait at Terminal 1 on August 10, 2006, after airport security was raised to critical when a terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US was disrupted by police -
Planes queueing to take off at Heathrow in 2007 -
The new Terminal 5 at Heathrow in 2008 -
Aircraft at Heathrow Airport in front of the London skyline in 2016 -
Members of Team GB arrive from Rio de Janeiro at Heathrow, after returning from the 2016 Olympics, which saw Great Britain's strongest performance at the Games in over a century -
A composite photo shows planes taking off from Heathrow in November 2016. Forty-two planes were captured between 10.17am and 11.17am and a montage was created from those single images -
Items are arranged during an auction preview at Heathrow in 2018. The contents of Terminal 1, which closed in 2015, were being sold -
An airline passenger wearing a face mask pushes her bags through Heathrow's Terminal 5 during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 -
British Airways employees welcome Olympians returning from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 -
Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check in 2022
“A number of Menzies colleagues will go on strike at Heathrow this weekend,” said a Heathrow representative.
“Affected airlines already have contingency matters in place and flight cancellations are not anticipated. We encourage passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline.”
Strikes scheduled to take place involving workers at Dnata were called off after members accepted an improved offer.
Strikes involving Menzies workers employed in its cargo and trucking sections has been suspended to allow the workers to be balloted on an improved offer, which means passengers going to the World Cup will not be directly affected by the dispute, said Unite.
“We are pleased to have reached agreement on this pay award, which reflects the huge respect we have for our employees in the UK,” said Alex Doisneau, managing director at Dnata UK, Airport Operations — Ground Handling and Cargo.
“The agreed package, including both a pay increase and immediate support for the short term, provides concrete support for our employees amidst the current cost-of-living crisis.
“Dnata is heavily invested in the UK and we look forward to continuing our journey with our employees as we focus our efforts on strengthening our leading position in the market.”
Heathrow passengers — in pictures
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Passengers queue at departures in Terminal 2 of Heathrow Airport in London. All photos: Mark Chilvers for The National -
A passenger passes a sign for a Covid-19 testing centre at Heathrow. Arriving travellers have complained of having to pay for tests that go unchecked by UK officials. -
Martinique Obialo, from Oakland, California, said she had prepared for long queues at border control but needed to wait for only 20 minutes. -
A passenger with a member of staff at Heathrow. The easing of UK travel restrictions led to rising demand for air travel but levels are still well below those of 2019. -
James Barrass from Scotland on his way to Canada for his son's wedding. -
Passenger James Barrass makes his way through Heathrow. -
The rules for travel have changed throughout the pandemic and people are advised to check government websites for the latest information. -
People wait in the Heathrow Terminal 2 arrivals hall.
