Heathrow airport workers vote for December strikes

Thousands of workers at London Heathrow airport have voted to take strike action in December over the operator’s proposals to cut costs amid the coronavirus downturn. The Unite union describes the “targeted strike action” as a response to “plans to fire and rehire its 4,000 workers on vastly reduced pay”. The announcement follows months of discussions – initiated by the airport operator when the severity of the current crisis became clear – which culminated in Unite’s decision to ballot its members on strike action in mid-October, claiming that Heathrow had rejected its latest proposals. Unite states that the action ”will involve firefighters, engineers, campus security, baggage operations, operational and airside workers”. Two 24-hour strikes are due to take place on 1 December and 14 December respectively. A 48-hour stoppage will take place across 17-18 December, Unite says.<br/>