Ground handlers employed by Menzies at Heathrow Airport have commenced strike action today (Friday 18 November) over a pay dispute.
The 350 employees, who are members of trade union Unite, started a 72-hour stoppage as of 4am. They have demanded a better pay offer than the ones made to date, which have varied between 2% and 6%, which the union stated amount to real terms pay cuts, below the current real inflation rate of 14.2%.
The dispute is likely to cause disruption, delays and cancellation for flights leaving Heathrow Terminals 2, 3 and 4, affecting Air Canada, American Airlines, Luthansa, Swiss Air, Air Portugal, Austrian airlines, Qantas, Egypt Air, Aer Lingus and Finnair.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “Unite’s members at Menzies play a critical role in ensuring that planes operate safely at Heathrow. Menzies is a wealthy business and it can fully afford to pay its workers a decent pay increase. It is greed, not need, which is preventing a fair pay offer being made. Unite’s members at Menzies will receive the union’s comprehensive support.”
Kevin Hall, regional officer at Unite, added: “The strike action will inevitably cause serious delays for passengers at Heathrow, but this dispute is entirely of Menzies’ own making. It has had every opportunity to make our members’ a fair pay offer, but it has stubbornly refused to do so.”
Menzies was contacted for comment prior to publication.