A walkout by staff at a catering company that supplies British Airways at its Heathrow hub has been called off at the eleventh hour. The strike had threatened a fresh wave of mass flight cancellations for British Airways which has been hit by successive waves of disruption over the last few weeks.
Around 100 catering truck drivers employed by the upmarket airline catering firm DO & CO had planned a 48-hour walkout from 4th March to 5th March in a dispute over pay and pension contributions.
The Unite union warned that flights could have been cancelled because cabin crew and pilots must be supplied with food and water during flights as part of their contract. The disruption was set to hit long-haul flights more than short-haul European services.
British Airways had moved to reassure staff and passengers in recent days by saying that it had “robust” contingency plans in place but the airline was yet to spell out whether some flights could have been cancelled.
Because the strike involved lorry drivers who drive ‘high lift’ catering trucks, their work could not simply be filled in by managers or office staff because the lorries require special licenses to operate.
“The impact would be most severe on flights of more than six hours in duration – three hours to the destination and three back to the UK. No food on board equals no flights,” warned the Unite union’s regional officer Shereen Higginson.
The union has complained that DO & CO is paying staff “some of the lowest rates in the London region”. The union is also in dispute with the Vienna-based catering company over its pension plan.
The strike could also have hit other airlines who are served by DO & CO at Heathrow Airport, including Emirates.
British Airways have used DO & CO for all of its catering needs at Heathrow since 2019 when it ditched Gate Gourmet. In 2005, a wildcat strike by employees at Gate Gourmet grounded BA flights in a dispute over sacked workers.
The strike spilt over to BA’s baggage handlers and aircraft loaders who walked out in solidarity with the catering staff who were represented by the same union. In the end, BA had to intervene directly in the Gate Gourmet dispute to reach a solution.
On Monday, the GMB union which represents BA ground staff at Heathrow warned passengers they should fear a “summer of chaos” in an escalating row over pay and benefits.
