Heathrow Airport security guards' strike extends to second terminal

Security personnel at Terminal 3 will join colleagues at Terminal 5 in striking

Heathrow security staff strike outside Heathrow Airport in London. EPA

A strike by security guards at Heathrow Airport has intensified and spread to a second terminal, as the summer tourist season begins.

About 600 more security officers at Terminal 3 have voted overwhelmingly in favour of walking out.

Until now, the security guard strike was limited to Terminal 5, which has seen 18 days of strikes since the busy Easter period in April.

“Escalating strike action will inevitably cause disruption, delays and cancellations across Heathrow,” said Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham.

“This widening dispute is a direct result of Heathrow Airport's dismissive attitude to its workers. They have seriously misjudged the anger of the workers.

“They have had every opportunity to make our members a fair pay offer but have chosen not to. It is now time for them to come back to the negotiating table and deal with this issue before further escalation occurs

“Strike action is now set to escalate throughout the summer and Unite will leave no stone unturned in support for our members involved in the dispute.”

About 1,400 Unite members employed as security officers at Terminal 5 and Campus Security have staged a series of strikes in recent weeks.

Saturday is the third day of its latest walkout.

A Heathrow representative said: “Our focus is on giving passengers the excellent service they expect at Heathrow and our colleagues the hard-earned pay rise they deserve.

“We have kept the airport operating over the last 17 days of strike action, and passengers can have confidence that we will continue to protect their journeys over the summer.

“Over the coming days, we will be updating our plans and activating a reserve pool of colleagues to provide additional security capacity.

“The summer getaway is one of the best times of the year at Heathrow and no one should be worried about the threat of unnecessary strikes rumbling on in the background.

“There is an inflation-beating deal on the table for this year and next and Unite should let colleagues vote on it. Our door remains open to discuss resolving this issue.”