AUS
NZ
UK
CA
USA
IND
_06_19_2026_10_41_46_758506.jpg)
Summary
- British Airways cargo workers at Heathrow have announced a 9-day strike which will start on 25 December and will continue till 2 January
- Majority of the workers affiliated to Unite union are in favour of the strike
British Airways’ cargo workers at Heathrow airport have announced a nine-day long strike over their disagreement over their salaries with the management. The strike will begin from 25 December and will end on 2 January.
The strike comes at a time when the festive rush will be at peak and further delay in the freight sector as the Brexit transition period around that time.
The dispute is over the airline owned by International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (LON: IAG) attempt to fire and rehire the workforce, which led to a majority of them (98 per cent of the 840 plus members) voting in favour of the strike action on 7 December. They are facing salary cuts in the range of one-fourth to one-fifth of their pay.
The cargo workers employed by BA are members of the Unite, UK’s principal aviation union. These cargo workers have played a vital role in ensuring the smooth functioning of the supply chains by continuously operating during two lockdowns in the UK. Cargo remained one of the business segments that earned profits throughout the pandemic.
Unite’s take
Howard Beckett, Unite’s assistant general secretary, said the union had taken many steps so that the airline company agreed to make a fair offer to the workers, but sadly all efforts failed. As a result, they were forced to call the strike.
He added that they understand the strike would lead to further disruption in UK’s air freight, but they cannot afford to lose a quarter of their pay. Howard had requested the new chief executive of British Airways to withdraw the plans to fire and rehire its cargo workers.
The struggle
The aviation industry has struggled to survive with many jobs at stake. Crew members and ground staff have been put on furlough and announcement of mass redundancies to cut cost. Gatwick and Heathrow are the most affected airports, which have been fearing massive job cuts to remain viable.
Heathrow is the biggest trading port in the UK. The airport has witnessed a drastic reduction in the number of passengers since the pandemic outbreak. During the first national lockdown, passenger numbers dipped by 95 per cent YoY in July. But before the second lockdown was announced, the passenger traffic got a boost as Brits were desperate to travel. Heathrow airport recorded a total of 7,46,954 passengers in November, including 57,476 passengers and 1,13,799 metric tonnes of cargo.
