Heathrow Airport could face more disruption at Easter after strikes announced

Heathrow Airport Easter holiday flights could be thrown into chaos after strike action was announced.

Around 500 workers at Heathrow are planning to take strike action at the airport after a row over pay, Unite the union said.

April’s walkout would affect Wilson James Heathrow staff, who assist passengers with restricted mobility.

The industrial action is expected from April 5 to 9, with further strike dates in the pipeline if an agreement is not reached.

The industrial action will last four days over Easter, meaning holiday flights could be disrupted during the peak travel season.

The announcement comes after all flights were grounded at Heathrow Airport after a power outage following a substation fire nearby, affecting around 200,000 travellers in the UK and worldwide.

Counterterrorism experts were called in to investigate the fire, but they found ‘no evidence to suggest that the incident was suspicious in nature,’ the police confirmed on Tuesday.

Why are Heathrow staff planning a strike at Easter?

Staff are angry for being paid 9.5% less than Wilson James staff in similar roles at Gatwick, Metro understands.

Wilson James recorded gross profits of £35,400,000 for the year ending July 2024, while the company’s gross turnover grew by 17.7% from the previous year, according to Unite.

Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport Limited saw a profit before tax of £696,000,000 in nine months to September last year.

Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Wilson James and Heathrow are both highly profitable, so there is absolutely no excuse for these workers to be paid far less than their colleagues at Gatwick. Unite is backing these workers 100 per cent in their fight for fair pay.’

Unite said Wilson James staff at Heathrow walk 13 miles a day on average and provide ’emotional reassurance and kindness’ to overwhelmed passengers.

A Wilson James spokesperson told Metro: ‘We are disappointed that Unite members have chosen to proceed with industrial action, particularly as our above-inflation pay offer – delivering a 5.16% increase and bringing hourly rates to at least 13.4% above the National Living Wage coming into commencement in April 2025 – has not been presented to members for a vote.

‘We are also disheartened that notice of this Industrial Action was issued while our teams were working closely with Heathrow to support passengers during an unprecedented airport closure.

‘Wilson James remains fully committed to constructive dialogue with our colleagues to find a resolution. In the meantime, we have robust contingency plans in place to ensure the continuity of the Assistance Service for passengers at Heathrow throughout the planned strike dates.’

Heathrow Airport is facing pressure from some of the world’s biggest airlines over the power outage disruption.

The airlines operating out of Heathrow suggested taking legal action to recover costs if the matter is not settled amicably.

National Grid said that Heathrow could have kept operating during the fire as it was supplied by two other power stations.

However, Heathrow Airport will argue the closure was due to a force majeure event that was out of its hands. Heathrow and airlines are likely to have an agreement in place for these kinds of events to be excluded from any compensation, aviation consultant Bernard Lavelle told Metro previously.

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