Heathrow airport assistance staff will begin industrial action tomorrow (24 April), which will have a ‘significant impact’ on passengers with learning disabilities and restricted mobility.
Unite, the UK’s leading trade union, has stated that these workers are frustrated with being paid an average of 9.5 per cent less than their counterparts at Gatwick, despite performing the same role.
At Heathrow, Wilson James workers walk an average of 13 miles a day while offering emotional support and reassurance to disabled passengers.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Heathrow and Wilson James are both highly profitable and can more than afford to ensure these workers are offered reasonable pay deals. Unite is backing Heathrow’s passenger assistance workers 100 per cent as they strike for fair pay.”
The Wilson James PRM staff will be on strike on the following dates: 24, 25, 29, and 30 April 2025. Additionally, their managers will join the strike action starting on 1 May 2025 after they also voted in favour of industrial action.
Unite regional officer Martin West said: “It is morally indefensible that workers doing the same job for the same employer at two different London airports are being paid vastly different rates. All our members are asking for is parity with their colleagues, but this has fallen on deaf ears, meaning they are being forced to head to the picket line.
“Strike action will have a significant impact on passengers with additional needs travelling through Heathrow. The disruption is a result of Wilson James’s failure to negotiate in good faith. It needs to come back to the negotiating table with an improved pay offer.”
