London Heathrow Runs Normally During Strike

In order to maintain smooth operation during a 1-day strike, ASIG and London Heathrow Airport have hired additional staff.

Despite the strike of Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG) ground handlers on Friday, operations at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) continued to run as usual. The 1-day strike — taking place in Terminals One, Two and Three — was organized by the country’s largest union, Unite. Unite represents over 500 ground handling staff at LHR, including ticketing agents and bag handlers.

The strike began at 12:01 a.m. GMT, and is credited to a delayed 2013 pay award. ASIG has offered a 5.5 percent salary increase over two years to the unionized employees, which in a statement printed on their website, Unite called “unacceptable, given the soaring cost of living.”

“The prospect of incipient chaos for thousands of passengers should concentrate the minds of management and get them around the table again to negotiate a fair settlement,” Unite regional officer Michelle Braveboy said in the statement.

In order to maintain operations, LHR and ASIG officials planned for the 1-day strike by adding extra staff. In a statement on the LHR’s homepage, the airport announced, “A small number of staff at ASIG … have announced their intention to take strike action. ASIG have (sic) plans to maintain their service and we will have extra staff available to support passengers with their journey.”

According to FlightStats.com, the delay status at LHR was rated at “Very Low” for Friday. Despite this, LHR urged travelers to arrive early and contact their airlines with additional questions about specific flights.

Negotiations between ASIG and Unite are ongoing, but no additional strikes have been announced. “We are still negotiating on the 2013 pay award, which should have been paid in July last year,” Braveboy said in the statement from Unite. “[We] are now having to negotiate a 2-year deal, as this year’s anniversary date has already passed.”

ASIG has not provided a public statement on the situation.

[Photo: iStock]