Security guards at Heathrow airport will go on strike for 10 days starting March 31st. This adds to the multiple salary increase protests that are shaking Britain these days. The strike coincides with the Easter holiday period.
The Unite union said that more than 1,400 security guards at Heathrow airport, one of the busiest in Europe, will participate in the industrial action. The general secretary of this organization, Sharon Graham, denounced that the workers of the aforementioned airport are paid “a pittance”, while the executive director and top managers enjoy enormous salaries and inflation is the highest in the last 40 years, she added.
A security guard’s yearly salary £24,000 (€27,400) a year, according to the union. Workers have been offered a 10 percent wage increase, but the offer has been rejected. According to Euronews, the union has stated that with a current Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation at 13.4 per cent, accepting the proposal would effectively mean a pay cut.
Meanwhile, Heathrow has affirmed that contingency plans are in place to keep the airport open and operational. A spokesman said that, “Threatening to ruin people’s vacations with a strike will not improve the deal.”
In the last few weeks, workers from different British sectors such as Health, Education, Transport and Public administration have been carrying out continuous protest strikes demanding better working conditions.
Passport workers announced a strike that is expected to last five weeks amid a bitter pay dispute, UK media reported. Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union announced the strike, which could affect passport processing in time for the summer. More than 4,000 PCS workers in England, Scotland and Wales will join the action between April 3rd and May 5th.
In Belfast, passport office employees are currently being balloted and it is possible that they may also join the strike. Offices in areas such as Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport are also expected to experience major disruption.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka has demanded that the government review the current 2% pay rise offer to avoid further strikes. Teachers, doctors, health workers, train drivers and civil servants have also staged strikes in recent months amid the cost of living crisis.
Inflation in the UK rose to 11 percent last year in October, the highest in the last four decades. Although it fell to just over 10 percent in January, it is still a substantial increase from a steady two percent over the years.
