British Airways check-in staff at Heathrow have called off plans to strike after agreeing a 13 per cent pay deal. Members of the Unite trade union had voted to stage a series of walkouts in a row over pay, conditions and the restoration of a wages cut imposed during the pandemic.
However, some 500 workers have accepted a new British Airways offer, after “extensive negotiations” to seal a deal and avoid more chaos for passengers. The agreement will be phased in several stages, while shift pay reductions introduced in 2020 will be reversed from October 2022, reports the Mirror.
Hundreds of GMB members have also accepted the deal. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a great result for our check-in members at British Airways. By standing together, they have forced a corporate giant like BA to do the right thing and restore levels of pay slashed in the pandemic. This is a further example of how Unite’s relentless focus on winning better jobs, pay and conditions for its members in delivering.”
British Airways is one of many airlines facing disruption this summer, as staff shortages and a surge of demand from holidaymakers have left the aviation industry struggling to cope.
Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, said: "No one wanted a summer strike at Heathrow, but our members had to fight for what was right. Now these mainly women workers have won pay improvements for themselves – as well as forcing BA to make this offer to the rest of their staff too.
"Our members stood up for themselves and fought for what they were owed. These are frontline workers facing harassment and abuse from customers daily. The least they deserved is fair pay. This improved pay deal came because of their efforts."
