Workers at seven UK airports, including London Heathrow and Gatwick, have voted in favour of strike action in January.
Members of the Unite union are set to stage industrial action over proposed changes to their pension rights by the airports’ owner BAA, with two 24-hour walk-outs scheduled for January 7 and 14 and a further 48-hour strike starting on January 17.
The strike action will affect services at Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Stansted, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports.
“We continue to believe that industrial action is unnecessary, as none of our existing employees will be affected by the changes to our pension arrangements,” a BAA spokesman said.
“However, we do recognise there are important concerns and these will continue to be addressed through discussions with the unions and staff,” he added. “We would ask for the understanding of passengers as we work hard to resolve this issue.”
The strikes would involve workers involved in several key airport functions, including firefighters, security and maintenance staff.
