Services at London's Heathrow to be hit from June to August: Here's why

The strike will begin on June 24, slightly later than was originally planned, as the union failed to notify the airport in accordance with the strike laws

London's Heathrow Airport will witness a strike by the security staff of the airport for more than 31 days starting June 24.

According to a report in The Guardian, the decision to stage a strike comes after workers' union Unite announced a fresh action over pay. Over 2,000 staffers will be on a strike almost every weekend from June to August in what the union has termed a 'major escalation'.

While the strikes have to date been focused on Terminal 5, used by British Airways, the report suggests that other airlines like Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Qatar, United, American, and Delta could also be affected now as the staff at Terminal 3 have voted to join the strike.

Heathrow Airport has managed similar strikes during Easter and May half-term holiday getaways. However, disruption faced by to passengers in these instances was not significant. But this time, the spread and duration of the dispute can prove a more serious test of resources and the willingness of other staff to step in, the report highlighted.

The strike will begin on June 24, slightly later than originally planned, as the union failed to notify the airport in accordance with the strike laws.

The Guardian quoted Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, as saying: “Unite is putting Heathrow on notice that strike action at the airport will continue until it makes a fair pay offer to its workers.”

She added that the airport had “got its priorities all wrong”. “This is an incredibly wealthy company, which this summer is anticipating bumper profits and an executive pay bonanza. It’s also expected to pay out huge dividends to shareholders, yet its workers can barely make ends meet and are paid far less than workers at other airports.”

The report further suggested that the security staff had rejected the pay offer of 10.1 per cent, with Unite highlighting that wages for staff had seen a decline of 24 per cent in real terms since 2017.

Quoting a Heathrow Airport spokesperson, The Guardian report said passengers could be assured that the airport would do everything in order to minimise the disruption caused by the strike.