British Airways staff vote to strike at Heathrow

Unite and GMB union members who are mostly check-in staff and ground crew backed industrial action.

A total of 700 workers are set to strike during the summer holidays, when demand from travellers is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels.

The unions said the action was due to a 10% pay cut imposed during the peak of the pandemic not being reinstated.

Some 500 Unite members recorded a 94.7% vote in favour of industrial action, while 95% of GMB members backed the walkouts.

The strike dates will be confirmed in the coming days.

It is understood that if strikes go ahead, BA, which operates from terminals three and five at Heathrow, has plans to cover staff, including managers potentially dealing with check-ins.

However, there would still be disruption for passengers, especially at terminal five, leading to cancellations, which would be focused on routes with several daily flights.

The GMB claimed that while other British Airways workers have been given a "10% bonus, the check-in staff have had nothing".