London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Hundreds of workers to strike at Heathrow Airport in run-up to World Cup

Hundreds of workers to strike at Heathrow Airport in run-up to World Cup

Passengers using five major airlines are set to face the threat of disruption for at least three days from 18 November as 700 contractors, including ground handlers, prepare to walk out in pay disputes.
Hundreds of workers at Heathrow will walk out in the run-up to the World Cup finals this month over demands for better pay.

Unite said 700 staff, who are involved in ground-handling, airside transport and cargo and are employed by dnata and Menzies at Heathrow, will strike for three days starting from 18 November.

The World Cup in Qatar starts on 20 November.

"It will lead to disruption, cancellations and delays at Heathrow terminals 2, 3 and 4," the union said of the strike in its statement.

"The strike action will particularly affect Qatar Airways, which has scheduled an additional 10 flights a week during the World Cup".

It added that other airlines to be "hit heavily" would include Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Cathay-Pacific and Emirates.

However, Virgin denied it had any passenger service contracts with either dnata or Menzies and insisted that its flight programme would not be affected.

Passengers returning to the United States for the Thanksgiving holiday, which falls on 24 November, were likely to be hit.

Unite said both companies, which are contractors to airlines, had offered pay cuts when compared to the rate of inflation.

Dnata had offered its workers a 5% increase, the union said, while the offers for Menzies workers varied between 2% and 6%.

Airlines were yet to comment but dnata said it had activated contingency plans to minimise disruption while rejecting the union's claims around pay.

Alex Doisneau, managing director of dnata UK's operations said: "It is disappointing that Unite plans to progress with this costly industrial action, despite our offer to staff of an award which, with previous increases, amounts to a pay rise of 15.5% (20.2% for HGV drivers) since December 2021.

"This is in line with inflation and amongst the best in the industry."

The company described Unite's demands as "irresponsible" and a threat to its UK airport operations business as it was making a loss each month due to challenging conditions.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: "We are aware of proposed industrial action from Dnata and Menzies colleagues at Heathrow, and we are in discussions with our airline partners on what contingency plans they can implement to support their ground handling should the strike go ahead.

"Our priority is to ensure passengers are not disrupted by airline ground handler shortages."

Unite regional officer Kevin Hall said of its plans: "Strike action will inevitably cause disruption, delays and cancellations to flights throughout Heathrow, with travellers to the World Cup particularly affected.

"However, this dispute is entirely of Dnata and Menzies' own making. They have had every opportunity to make a fair pay offer but have chosen not to do so."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×