Hundreds of Heathrow Airport workers to strike from today amid working conditions dispute

Hundreds of Heathrow Airport workers are starting to strike from today (April 29) over working conditions. Border Force officers will walk out for four days with more than 300 members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said to be taking part.

The PCS said on its site that 'union members working in terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 will walk out from 5am on April 29 until 7am on May 3' against proposals 'to introduce new rosters that would see around 250 of them forced out of their jobs at passport control'.

With Border Force workers walking out, there are expected to be huge delays and long queues, especially in arrivals, at Heathrow Airport.

READ MORE: London strikes in April and May from Tube and National Rail to Heathrow and NHS

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “It’s disappointing that despite talks last week, the Home Office is not prepared to grant any flexibility to their new roster.

“None of our dedicated and highly experienced members in the Border Force want to take strike action but the way they’ve been treated by their employer leaves them with no option.

“The Home Office still has time to prevent tomorrow’s strike if it agrees to abandon this unworkable new system.”

These are not the only strikes affecting Heathrow in the coming weeks. In fact, strike action by members of staff will affect the airport until May 13.

50 refuelling workers have pledged to take industrial action for 72 hours starting on May 4, the day after the Border Force strikes end, due to cuts to the terms and conditions of new staff who joined since the beginning of this year meaning that they have a reduced pension and sickness benefits.

Then from Tuesday, May 7, to 11.59pm on Monday, May 13, around 800 members of staff in several departments will strike, protesting against Heathrow's 'cost-cutting exercise' that will see their work outsourced.

Unite regional co-ordinating officer Wayne King said: "Strike action will inevitably cause widespread disruption across the airport, leading to delays and disruption. However, this is a dispute that HAL (Heathrow Airport Ltd) has brought on itself."

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