Amid the ongoing airport disruption, Heathrow is facing another threat of strike action this summer.
Unite members employed by Aviation Fuel Services (AFS) at Heathrow plan to strike for three days in a dispute over pay.
The strike is set to take place from July 21 at 0500 until July 24 at 0459.
AFS supplies fuelling services to over 70 airlines at the airport including Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, United, SAS, Air France, Emirates, Delta, JAL, KLM and Singapore Airlines.
AFS workers are striking due to a lack of pay increase for three years, which the union says has seen their incomes fall by 15.5 per cent. Unite says that 93 per cent of its members at AFS voted for strike action on a 92 per cent turnout.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:
“AFS needs to offer its workers a decent pay rise. Oil and gas companies are making massive profits so AFS has the wherewithal to make a proper offer. AFS workers have sustained wage cuts for three years so it’s time AFS rewarded their sacrifices.
“Our members at AFS will receive Unite’s complete support until this dispute is resolved and workers receive a decent pay increase.”
Unite says that the strike action will cause “considerable disruption and delays throughout Heathrow”.
Unite regional officer Kevin Hall commented:
“Strike action will inevitably cause considerable disruption across Heathrow but this strike is entirely of AFS’s own making. Unite has given the company every opportunity to make a decent pay offer and it has failed to do so.
“Even now strike action and the resulting disruption can be avoided if AFS returns to the negotiating table and makes an offer that meets our member’ expectations.”
AFS is a joint venture operation whose partners include BP, Total Energies, Q8 Aviation and Valero Energy.
Yesterday we reported that research by consumer group Which? revealed that four in 10 travel insurance policies do not cover travellers for strikes by airport or airline staff.
The UK Department for Transport has also published a series of measures it hopes will “minimise disruption in the aviation sector and protect passengers” this summer.
