A warning of pre-Christmas flight delays at Heathrow has been issued as ground handlers prepare to strike in a pay dispute.
The threatened action involves 350 workers employed by Menzies who plan to walk out for 72 hours from 4am on December 16.
The Unite union warned of disruption, delays and cancellations for flights from Heathrow Terminals 2, 3 and 4.
The action will particularly affect Air Canada, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Tap Air Portugal, Austrian Airlines, Qantas, Egypt Air, Aer Lingus and Finnair, according to the union.
A previous strike last month caused “considerable disruption” across Heathrow, Unite claimed.
The union described the approach to pay negotiations for the Menzies ground handlers as being “at odds” with the approach taken to the company’s cargo workers who were initially part of the dispute.
The cargo workforce at Heathrow were offered and accepted a 9.5% pay increase backdated to May 22 and a further one per cent from January.
However, Unite said the Menzies ground handlers have been offered a flat rate increase, which for all the workforce amounts to a real terms pay cut, while the real inflation rate (RPI) currently stands at 14.2%.
Unite regional officer Kevin Hall said: “Heathrow passengers are facing disruption, delays and potentially cancellations in the lead up to Christmas but this dispute is entirely of Menzies own making. The company has offered a fair pay rise to one group of workers but not to its ground handlers.
“Menzies needs to stop prevaricating and making excuses. Instead, return to negotiations and make our workers a pay offer which meets their expectations.”
Menzies Aviation Europe executive vice president Miguel Gomez Sjunnesson said: “We are well prepared for further industrial action and are working closely with key partners to put in place robust contingency plans.
“The previous strike, which involved about 250 of our 1,500 ground handling workforce at Heathrow, had minimal impact on our operations with no flight cancellations attributable to Menzies and 97% of flights departing on time.
“We remain committed to seeking a resolution on the pay talks in our ground handling operations so our employees can receive their increase now, and hope to be able to reach an agreement which is workable for both the business and our employees during our meeting with unions on Tuesday.”