Commenting on the ongoing efforts to protect jobs at the airport, a Heathrow spokesperson said:
We are in talks with our unions about the impact of COVID-19 on our business. These talks are in the early stages and we will continue to explore options – no decisions have been made. Our main priority is to protect jobs and we have put forward an initial proposal that we believe is fair, gives colleagues choice and reflects the severity of the situation we all face. Despite the trade unions recognising the need for change, they are not supportive of our initial proposal.
We believe the initial proposals put forward by the trade unions do not reflect the severity of the situation and ultimately will limit our ability to protect jobs. Our business has been hit hard by the pandemic stripping away 97 per cent of normal demand. And, while we have acted quickly to protect our business and made significant progress with cost cutting, we now need to go further. Our forecasts show that we’ll have nearly 64 per cent fewer passengers in 2020 alone and 2019 levels are not expected to return until after 2022. This means we must adapt to the new passenger numbers and change the way we work to become more flexible, agile and competitive so we are fit for the future.
We are doing everything we can to engage with our unions and come to a constructive solution that avoids needing to use S188.
On the back of feedback from colleagues, we have already launched a voluntary severance scheme and we are topping up furloughed salaries and ensuring no colleague falls below the London Living Wage threshold. We will continue to talk to our trade unions and are committed to providing colleagues with as much support and information as possible as we move to become more efficient, while running a safe and secure airport.
