A ten-day strike involving security staff at Heathrow airport begins today (March 31, 2023), following the failure of last-minute talks to avert industrial action.

There had been some hope that talks on Thursday might produce a breakthrough in the dispute, but the Unite union said that “The talks broke down because Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) failed to substantially improve its pay offer and was only prepared to offer a lump sum payment as an addition to the current offer”.

The strike action is taking place between March 31 and April 9 – coinciding with the Easter holidays – and involves staff at British Airways’s Terminal 5 hub, as well as security guards responsible for checking cargo entering the airport.

BA has issued advice for passengers flying from Heathrow over the period, including a request for travellers to minimise the number of hand baggage items they travel with.

Those travelling on Basic Fares (which would not usually include a checked luggage allowance) will be asked if they are able to check-in their bag free of charge.

The carrier’s First Wing will be closed during the strike period, and access to fast track security “will be reduced”.

Heathrow also confirmed that “On strike days, passengers will only be allowed to travel through security with two items of hand baggage” (handbags and laptop bags both count as a piece each) – and the airport is asking travellers to arrive no earlier than two hours before short-haul flights, and three hours for long-haul.

Although Virgin Atlantic is based in T3 rather than T5, the carrier says it is working with Heathrow “to understand the impact on customers at our home in Terminal 3 during this popular Easter holiday travel window”.

Both Virgin and its partner Delta have introduced a flexible travel policy for the first three days of the strike, allowing for free of charge rebooking of flights.

Commenting on the industrial action Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham said:

“Heathrow can afford to pay a decent pay rise to its workers. This is a wealthy company which is about to return to bumper profits. In recent years it’s approved an astronomical rise in salary for its CEO and paid out dividends to shareholders worth billions.

“Yet somehow Heathrow executives seem to think it’s acceptable to offer what amounts to a real terms pay cut to its security guards and ground staff who are already on poverty pay.

“Unite has a laser like focus on our members jobs, pay and conditions, the workforce at Heathrow Airport will receive the union’s unswerving support in this fight for a decent deal.”

heathrow.com, ba.com, unitetheunion.org