Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Tom Batchelor

Heathrow strike: Industrial action at London airport on Monday suspended to allow for further talks

British Airways aircraft at Heathrow Airport ( EPA )

Monday's strike by staff working at Heathrow Airport has been suspended to allow for further talks, the Unite union has said. 

Some 2,000 staff were due to walk out from one minute past midnight for 48 hours – affecting thousands of passengers.

The two sides have been meeting throughout the weekend under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas.

But on Sunday evening, Unite said in a brief statement: "Tomorrow's strike by Unite members working for Heathrow Airport has been suspended to allow for further talks at Acas tomorrow.

"Under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas, tomorrow's talks will involve senior directors from Heathrow Airport and senior Unite officials with the aim of averting a second day of planned strike action set to start at 00:01 and finish at 23:59 on Tuesday 6 August.

"Unite will not be making any further comment while talks are ongoing."

Heathrow has already cancelled around 177 flights on Monday and Tuesday, causing disruption to passengers.

But the scale of disruption would have been worse if Monday's strike had gone ahead.

Passengers are being urged to check with their airline for the latest news on flights.

Unite members, including security staff, firefighters and engineers have voted heavily against a pay offer Heathrow said was worth 7.3% over two-and-a-half years.

Additional reporting by PA

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.