Heathrow workers start 48-hour strike

Published on Friday 24 September 2004 14:12

WORKERS who refuel aircraft at Heathrow mounted a picket line at the airport today at the start of a 48 hour-strike over pay.

Around 40 members of the Transport and General Workers Union walked out at 4.30am after rejecting a two-year pay offer.

The workers, employed by AFS, refuel around a third of the 1200 daily flights at Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport.

A spokesman for the airport said the strike had not caused any disruption to flights by mid-morning and he was hopeful that schedules would be largely unaffected.

The union said it believed there would be disruption to flights later today and tomorrow.

Hundreds of baggage handlers at Gatwick will strike tomorrow after the breakdown of talks aimed at resolving a separate row over workloads and the suspension of a union official.

Thomas Cook Airlines and MyTravel said they will bring in their own baggage handlers to make sure passengers were not disrupted. A Heathrow spokesman said: "Short-haul and European flights are not expected to be impacted.

"Long-haul flights could be subject to some minor disruption.

"We advise passengers not to change their travel plans and to check in as normal, but if they have concerns to keep in contact with their airline for latest information on their specific flight.

The spokesman added: "AFS is one of three companies carrying out refuelling at Heathrow, and for the considerable majority of passengers on Friday and Saturday it should be business as normal."

Kevin Hall, regional official of the TGWU, said: "Our members do not believe that the offer being put forward meets their aspirations but, more importantly, does not compensate many of them for the terms and conditions, such as pension and overtime provisions, that have been taken away from them by the refuelling companies who have major interests within AFS."