London's Heathrow Airport May Face Staff Shortages Due To Mass Resignations - Trade Union

London's Heathrow Airport could face staff shortages this summer due to a possible wave of departures of employees unhappy with their pay, UK trade union Unite said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th April, 2023) London's Heathrow Airport could face staff shortages this summer due to a possible wave of departures of employees unhappy with their pay, UK trade union Unite said on Wednesday.

"Heathrow Airport Ltd (HAL) is set for a shock exodus of security officers, according to a confidential survey of Unite members at the airport. The survey of over 750 security officers revealed that one in three are planning to leave their jobs within the next six months, while almost half of respondents are unsure whether they will continue to work at Heathrow," Unite said in a statement.

Security officers are leaving their jobs because of a combination of low pay and an extremely difficult working environment, the statement read.

The wave of resignations could lead to a repeat of the chaos of last summer, when severe staff shortages left passengers waiting in long queues for hours at some airports, the union added.

Last week, Unite announced that more than 1,400 airport security officers would go on strike from March 31 to April 9. The strike partly coincides with the Easter holidays, which could cause disruption to airport operations due to the influx of passengers and staff shortages.

The UK has seen a series of strikes by civil servants in recent months as people express their dissatisfaction with salaries and the worsening economic situation caused by soaring inflation in the country. Employees of railroad companies, post offices and airports as well as lawyers and others, have been taking part in the protests. The rise in inflation is partly linked to the wave of sanctions against Russia over its military operation in Ukraine.