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UK braces for fresh airport, rail strikes in May

Published : 04 May 2023, 23:59

  DF News Desk
Pixabay File photo.

The United Kingdom (UK) is bracing for a new round of transport disruptions as security officers at Heathrow Airport and rail workers across the country are set to walk out for multiple days in May, reported Xinhua.

According to Unite, the country's leading union, strikes at Heathrow Airport involving 1,400 security officers began on May 4 after last-minute talks over a pay dispute broke down.

The security officers will also be striking on May 5, 6, 9 and 10 and then again on May 25, 26 and 27, i.e. for a total of eight days this month.

The strike threatens chaos for holidaymakers during the Coronation and bank holiday weekend, from May 6 to May 8. Travelers are advised to check flight details and status before arriving at the airport.

Security officers at Heathrow are paid between 5,000 and 6,000 British pounds (7,537 U.S. dollars) per year less than their peers at other London airports, and since 2017, the average pay for Heathrow employees has fallen by 24 percent in real terms, according to Unite.

Several train services across the UK will also be delayed or canceled as rail workers from two major unions rejected the railway companies' latest pay raise offer and announced industrial actions in May.

Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), the union representing more than 96 percent of train drivers in the UK, will walk out on May 12 and May 31.

Another rail workers' union, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), will launch strike action on May 13, the day of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool.

ASLEF members will also strike on June 3, the day of the Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) final, when fans of two Manchester football teams will travel to London to see the game at Wembley Stadium.

Responding to the latest strikes, the Rail Delivery Group, which represents railway companies, called the action "totally unnecessary" and said "senselessly targeting both the final of Eurovision and the FA Cup final is disappointing for all those planning to attend."