taff at Heathrow airport have introduced they are going to be putting within the run-up to the World Cup – with flights to host nation Qatar closely affected.
Seven hundred employees on the UK’s largest and busiest airport are to strike for 3 days from November 18 in a dispute over pay, it was introduced on Friday.
The World Cup is because of kick off on November 20, and hundreds of UK soccer followers are anticipated to fly out to observe the event.
Commerce union Unite stated the strike motion will trigger “disruption, cancellations and delays at Heathrow terminals 2, 3 and 4”.
“[It] will significantly have an effect on Qatar Airways, which has scheduled a further 10 flights every week through the World Cup,” Unite added in an announcement.
The strike will start within the early hours of November 18 and run till the early hours of Monday, November 21.
It’s set to contain 700 employees employed by Dnata (Dubai Nationwide Air Journey Company) and aviation providers agency Menzies, who perform all kinds of roles, together with ground-handling, airside transport and cargo.
Unite common secretary Sharon Graham stated: “Our members at Dnata and Menzies undertake extremely difficult roles and are merely searching for an honest pay rise. Each corporations are extremely worthwhile and might totally afford to make a good pay enhance. The homeowners and administrators are merely lining their very own pockets reasonably than paying their employees pretty.
“The employees at Heathrow can have Unite’s full assist throughout this dispute.”
Different main airways that might be hit closely by the strike motion embrace Virgin, Singapore Airways, Cathay-Pacific and Emirates. Passengers travelling to america forward of Thanksgiving on November 24 are additionally set to be affected.
Unite says Dnata has supplied its employees a 5 per cent pay enhance, whereas the affords for Menzies employees fluctuate between two and 6 per cent.
But it surely says these affords are “far beneath” the actual price of inflation (RPI), which at present stands at 12.6 per cent – that means they quantity to “pay cuts disguised as pay will increase”.
Unite regional officer Kevin Corridor stated: “Strike motion will inevitably trigger disruption, delays and cancellations to flights all through Heathrow, with travellers to the World Cup significantly affected. Nonetheless, this dispute is fully of Dnata and Menzies personal making. They’ve had each alternative to make a good pay provide however have chosen not to take action.”
Heathrow says it’s in talks with different airline companions to see what could possibly be performed to cut back the disruption ought to the strike go forward.
An airport spokesperson stated: “We’re in discussions with our airline companions on what contingency plans they’ll implement to assist their floor dealing with ought to the strike go forward. Our precedence is to make sure passengers usually are not disrupted by airline floor handler shortages.”
Menzies and Dnata have been approached for a remark.
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