In May 2023, over 1,400 security guards at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) want to go on strike for eight days over salary.
The following dates, May 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10, as well as May 25, 26, and 27, are targeted for industrial action by the security personnel, who are all members of Unite, one of the largest unions in the UK.
The Royal coronation on May 6, 2023, and the Spring bank holiday on May 29, 2023, both fall on long weekends as a result of the dates.
“Yet again, we have a chief executive in John Holland-Kaye who thinks it is acceptable to boost his earnings by an eye watering 88 per cent, from £800,000 to a staggering £1.5 million, while he denies his own workers a decent pay rise,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in a statement and Tweet.
We have a chief executive, John Holland-Kaye who thinks it’s acceptable to boost his earnings by an eye watering 88%; £800,000 to a staggering £1.5 million, while he denies his own workers a decent pay rise. This dispute is bound to escalate. #Heathrowhttps://t.co/kK5cVUja7t
— Sharon Graham (@UniteSharon) April 19, 2023
“This dispute is bound to escalate with more workers being balloted and disruption set to continue throughout the summer,” Graham added.
“Strikes next month will cause further disruption to airport passengers but this dispute is a direct result of Heathrow’s stubborn refusal to make an offer that meets our members’ expectations.
Our members have made it abundantly apparent that they want a sizable permanent pay raise. The financial challenges that our members are dealing with on a daily basis will not be relieved by a little one-time lump sum payment, Unite regional coordinating officer Wayne King stated in the same statement.
“While the CEO can enjoy a lavish millionaire’s lifestyle, our members struggle to pay the bills and put food on the table. This is about the need, not greed,” King added.
Over Easter, the 1,400 security guards went on a 10-day strike as well. According to the union, “hundreds” of flights had to be canceled.
In the meantime, London Heathrow informed Travel Weekly that it would not permit Unite to obstruct the flow of tourists into the UK “during such an important period for the country”.
