‘Inevitable disruption’ for King’s coronation as 1,400 Heathrow staff strike for eight days in May
About 1,400 security officers at Heathrow Airport will strike for eight days next month.
Unite said the staff will walk out from 4 to 6 May, 9 to 10 May and 25 to 27 May in a dispute over pay – causing “inevitable disruption and delays” to passengers arriving for the King’s coronation.
The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Yet again, we have a chief executive who thinks it is acceptable to boost his earnings while he denies his own workers a decent pay rise.
“This dispute is bound to escalate with more workers being balloted and disruption set to continue throughout the summer.”
Security guards at Heathrow also took part in a 10-day walkout over Easter.
That strike involved security officers at Terminal 5 – which is used exclusively by British Airways – and campus security guards who are responsible for checking all cargo that enters the airport.
BA cancelled about 5% of its flights during that walkout, and stopped selling tickets for strike days.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We kept Heathrow running smoothly during the first 10 days of Unite’s failed industrial action, and passengers can have confidence that we will do so again this time.
“We will not let Unite disrupt the flow of visitors to the UK during such an important period for the country.”
Heathrow says it has been offering a 10% pay increase as well as a lump sum payment of £1,150 since January – but claims that the union has failed to put this revised offer to their members.
Unite’s regional officer Wayne King disputed this, and claimed the airport has shown a “stubborn refusal to make an offer that meets our members’ expectations”.
He added: “Our members have been crystal clear they are seeking a substantial permanent increase in pay.
“A small one-off lump sum payment will not alleviate the financial pressures our members are facing on a daily basis.”
Passport Office strikes to escalate
In other developments, Passport Office staff are preparing to strike for four days at the start of next month.
Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members in all passport offices across the UK will walk out from 2 to 6 May in a row over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and jobs.
Action so far has been limited to some staff in some offices, but the union announced an escalation on Wednesday to include all members in all offices.
Nearly 2,000 passport examiners are already taking part in a rolling strike, but the new announcement means a further 1,000 staff – including interview officers and those in administrative and anti-fraud roles – will also take part.
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Meanwhile, senior civil servants will vote on industrial action over pay for the first time in more than four decades.
The FDA union said its executive committee has voted to launch a ballot in response to the government’s decision last week to give civil servants a pay rise of between 4.5% and 5%.
The union claimed the government had left it with no choice after the way civil servants had been treated.
FDA general secretary Dave Penman said: “In my 23 years at the FDA and 10 years as general secretary, I have never found myself so utterly at a loss as to why the government would want to treat our members and the rest of the civil service in this way.
“If this is, as I suspect, a tactical decision to use the civil service to send a message elsewhere then not only is it a flawed one, but once again demonstrates that there are those in government who simply do not value the civil service in the way they do the rest of the public sector.”
UK
Masked burglars ‘raid’ Windsor Castle grounds ‘while William, Kate and children slept at home on estate’
Masked burglars have stolen farm vehicles from the Windsor Castle estate while members of the Royal Family are believed to have been asleep nearby.
Two men scaled a 6ft fence on the night of 13 October and used a stolen truck to break through a security gate, The Sun first reported.
The pair then fled with a pick-up and a quad bike that were stored in a barn.
The King and Queen were not in residence.
But the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their three children George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and six-year-old Louis were believed to have been in their home, Adelaide Cottage, on the estate, according to The Sun.
The family moved there in 2022.
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: “At around 11.45pm on Sunday 13 October, we received a report of burglary at a property on Crown Estate land near to the A308 in Windsor.
“Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pick-up and a red quad bike. They then made off towards the Old Windsor/Datchet area.
“No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.”
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On Christmas Day 2021, a man climbed a fence at Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow and claimed he wanted to kill Queen Elizabeth II.
Jaswant Singh Chail was handed a nine-year custodial sentence for treason, possession of an offensive weapon and making threats to kill.
The UK is braced for “disruptive snow” as yellow weather warnings cover large parts of the country until Tuesday – with the Met Office saying there is the “potential” for the alerts to be “escalated”.
The forecaster has warned up to 20cm of snow may accumulate in the worst affected areas as the country experiences its “first taste of winter”.
The Met Office has also told people to expect ice, cold temperatures and wintry showers this week.
Check the forecast in your area
A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for much of the north of the country – covering areas in the East Midlands, Yorkshire, Wales and the north of England – from 7pm on Monday night to 10am on Tuesday morning.
Those in the impacted areas have been told power cuts are possible and mobile phone coverage might be affected.
The Met Office has said there is a “slight chance” some rural communities could be cut off and that bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled.
People are also warned to be careful not to slip or fall on icy surfaces.
The Met Office has said there will be bright spells across northern and eastern areas throughout today, but rain in the south and west will gradually spread northeastwards and turn to snow over northern hills.
Parts of the UK are experiencing their ‘first taste of winter’, says the Met Office. File pic: PA
Tom Morgan, Met Office meteorologist, said: “We could see some disruptive snow in the Pennine regions, in particular, the Peak District as well, especially Monday night, but we could well see some impacts lasting on until Tuesday morning’s rush hour.
“Even down to lower levels, we could well see some snow as well, so quite a bit of disruption possible by Tuesday morning, and then the week ahead is likely to stay cold nationwide, a windy day on Tuesday, and then winter showers through the week ahead.”
Mr Morgan said that despite a “mild” start to the month, the cold conditions are more typical of “mid-winter to late-winter”.
“What we can say is that it’s going to be very cold for the time of year, there will be widespread overnight frosts, and a few locations where there’s snow on the ground,” he continued.
The yellow weather warnings in place across the UK
Meanwhile, a yellow snow and ice weather warning that came into force at 4pm on Sunday will end at 11am this morning.
The warning covers the northern tip of Scotland and people there have been told there may be icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
The Met Office has said there is “potential” for both yellow warnings to be “escalated”.
In southern England, a typical maximum temperature for this time of year is 11C (52F), but daytime highs for the week ahead are forecast to be around 5C (41F), while some parts of Scotland will reach “only just above freezing”, Mr Morgan said.
The meteorologist said the public can best prepare for the wintry weather by checking their cars are suitable for icy and potentially snowy conditions and to take extra supplies including food, blankets and a fully charged mobile phone with them on journeys.
He added there were “likely” to be changes to the weather warnings in the coming days, and that “winter flurries” could be seen in the south of England later in the week.
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Despite the cold conditions, the “whole of the UK” will enjoy more sunshine this week, the meteorologist added.
He said: “There’ll be some snow showers in the peripheries of the UK, particularly northern Scotland, and down the east and the west coast, but if you live inland and you live in the south, there’ll be lots of sparkly blue skies on the most days through Tuesday to Friday.”
It comes as a cold weather alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency, which was introduced at 9am on Sunday, will be in place until 9am on Thursday.
It covers a large area of England, north of Northhampton. The alert is triggered when there is a risk that healthcare services might face extra pressure and is designed to prepare those who are “particularly vulnerable” and “likely to struggle to cope”.
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