WORKERS facing cuts to their already low pay at Heathrow airport will stage the first in a series of strikes tomorrow as the dispute escalates.

Members of Unite, including firefighters and security staff, will walk out for 24 hours, and again on December 14, 17 and 18 unless the row is resolved.

The strike action will also involve engineers, campus security, baggage operations, central terminal operations, landside and airside workers.

Unite said it had “serious concerns” about the safe operation of Heathrow during the industrial action, but the airport said it had contingency plans in place.

Unite officer Wayne King said: “Unite is urging the Civil Aviation Authority and the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that safety levels have not been compromised as a result of HAL’s contingency planning and that they make sure Unite is involved in those conversations.

“Heathrow workers take great pride in their work and have continued to operate throughout the pandemic, and have been required to put their own health at risk attending to passengers who have developed Covid.

“They are taking strike action as a last resort as cuts to their pay of up to a quarter are forcing them into poverty.

“Unite has offered a variety of solutions to reduce costs and avoid industrial action, all of which have been summarily dismissed by HAL.”

A Heathrow spokesman said: “It’s very disappointing that Unite has decided to take strike action during the worst crisis to hit the aviation sector.”