Strike action by hundreds of workers at Heathrow Airport could hit football fans traveling to the World Cup in Qatar, a union has warned.
According to Unite, 700 workers working in ground handling, airside transportation and the cargo side of the airport will go on strike for three days starting November 18.
It said the strike action would cause disruption and delays at Heathrow Terminals 2, 3 and 4.
Dnata and Menzies employees are demanding higher wages.
“Strike action will inevitably lead to disruptions, delays and cancellations of flights across Heathrow, with World Cup travelers being particularly hard hit,” warned Unite Regional Officer Kevin Hall.
The World Cup is due to start in Qatar on November 20 and the union said it expects Qatar Airways, which has been operating extra flights for football fans, to be “hard hit” by the strikes.
However, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said union members at Dnata and Menzies are “simply looking for a decent pay rise”.
She added, “Both companies are highly profitable and can fully afford a fair raise.”
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The union said other airlines including Virgin, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates were also affected.
Passengers traveling to the US for the Thanksgiving holiday could also be affected.
A Heathrow spokesman said: “We are aware of the planned industrial action by our colleagues at Dnata and Menzies at Heathrow and are in discussions with our airline partners about what contingency plans they can put in place to support their ground handling operations should the strike go ahead .”
The spokesman added that the airport’s priority is to ensure passengers are not disrupted by a shortage of airline ground handlers.
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