Unite has announced that workers at BAA have voted in favour of strike action in August. This could affect Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh Airports. Staff working for BAA include security staff, engineers, fire fighters and support staff. BAA had offered its staff a 1% pay rise, which has been deemed unacceptable by Unite union.
It has been confirmed that Airports will have to close on the days affected by strike action as essential staff will be involved in the walk outs. A minimum of 1 weeks’ notice must be given before any strike action can go ahead, and further negotiations are due to commence on Monday 16th August. The last planned walkout in 2002 was averted by BAA with a last minute pay deal.
If you are planning to book a last minute holiday, we would advise that you consider flying from an alternative airport such as Gatwick or Luton. If the strike does indeed go ahead, we would recommend those with flights already booked to check the status of your flight online, or contact your travel operator or airline directly to try to rearrange your flights. If you need to amend your car hire booking as a result of this, please contact us.
As always, we recommend that customers take out full travel insurance which will provide cover in these circumstances.
