Strike by Heathrow workers called off at eleventh hour

A planned strike by workers at Heathrow airport over low pay planned for Monday has been called off with hours to go to allow for further talks in the dispute. Unite, the union, said talks with senior directors from Heathrow would continue on Monday to avert a second day of planned strike action on Tuesday. A Heathrow spokesperson said Sunday that it remained “hopeful that we can find a resolution and stop this disruptive and unnecessary threat of strike action”. “Airlines may choose to reinstate impacted flights. We regret that passengers have been inconvenienced by this and urge them to contact their airline for up-to-date information on the status of their service,” the spokesperson added. Britain’s busiest airport had already cancelled 177 departing flights over the two-day period as a precaution in advance of the planned action after Unite overwhelmingly rejected a pay offer on Friday. Last-ditch talks aimed at averting the 48-hour walkout of around 2,500 staff — including security officers, firefighters and engineers — had gone on all weekend. Passengers had been waiting on Sunday for confirmation from airlines which flights had been cancelled. Heathrow typically has about 1,300 flights arriving and departing every day, carrying 220,000 passengers. Heathrow said it would remain open during a strike at what is one of the busiest travelling periods in the year but warned that security lines will probably be longer than usual.<br/>