London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 31, 2025

Heathrow Airport Expansion Announced Amid BA Cleaners' Strike Action

Heathrow Airport Expansion Announced Amid BA Cleaners' Strike Action

As Heathrow prepares for significant infrastructure upgrades, British Airways cleaners announce strike due to low wages.
Cleaners employed by OCS at British Airways’ offices at Heathrow Airport have announced plans to strike from February 25 to 28, pending negotiations regarding pay.

The union, Unite, claims that many of these workers earn below the living wage and are compelled to rely on food banks due to their poverty-level salaries.

OCS, a cleaning firm that works for British Airways, is currently paying some of its 50,000 employees the legal minimum wage of £11.44 an hour, despite being accredited by the Living Wage Foundation nationwide, which sets salaries at £13.85 per hour in London.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticized OCS and British Airways for their wage practices, stating that while both companies are highly profitable, they fail to compensate staff fairly.

In 2023, OCS reported operating profits of £28.3 million, and British Airways' parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), achieved £1.7 billion in profit during the peak summer season last year.

Graham emphasized the inconsistency in OCS's claims of being a living wage employer, given that many workers are not receiving that wage.

Martin West, a Unite regional officer, noted that there is still opportunity to avert the strike if OCS presents a fair pay offer.

The union has indicated plans for escalating industrial action should negotiations fail to result in satisfactory outcomes.

In related news, Heathrow Airport's CEO Thomas Woldbye unveiled a multibillion-pound investment strategy intended to expand the airport's infrastructure and enhance its capacity.

This initiative includes upgrades for Terminals 2 and 5, a reconfiguration of the airfield layout, and improvements to bus and coach connections.

Woldbye stated this investment program represents the largest private investment in the UK transport network to date and is driven by the necessity for greater capacity at Heathrow to maintain the UK’s status as a global trading hub.

The announcement came in the context of recent political support for a third runway at Heathrow, highlighted in a recent speech by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Woldbye expressed concerns that failure to expand would jeopardize the UK’s competitive edge internationally, citing comparable capacities at airports in other major European cities.

Heathrow’s proposed expansion is expected to create significant demand for UK-made steel, with Woldbye confirming a commitment to work with local communities to ensure transparency regarding the expansion’s impact.

He further reiterated that no taxpayer money will fund these developments, asserting that the investment will be entirely privately financed.

The Department for Business and Trade has welcomed the investment announcement as a strong endorsement of the UK’s industrial strategy.

UK Steel has also acknowledged the potential economic benefits of this investment for British steelmaking industries.

However, critics, including the No 3rd Runway Coalition, have raised concerns about the feasibility and economic justification of the proposed expansion plans.

Furthermore, Heathrow reported its busiest January on record in 2023, with over 6.3 million passengers using the four terminals, reflecting a 5% increase from the previous year, with robust growth noted in transatlantic travel.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Shawbrook IPO Marks London’s Biggest UK Listing in Two Years
UK Government Split Over Backing Brazil’s $125 Billion Tropical Forest Fund Ahead of COP30
J.K. Rowling Condemns Glamour UK Feature of Nine Trans Women as 'Men Better at Being Women'
King Charles III Removes Prince Andrew’s Titles and Orders His Departure from Royal Lodge
UK Finance Minister Reeves Releases Email Correspondence to Clarify Rental-Licence Breach
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
×