Pre-Olympics PCS Airport Strike Stopped

An airport strike event set to have caused chaos at the UK's flagship airport on the eve of the 2012 London Olympic Games has been called off, its organisers have confirmed. The decision follows some success in talks staged between government officials and PCS - the Public and Commercial Services union.

Tomorrow, 26 July, is forecast to be the busiest day in London Heathrow Airport's history, as athletes, officials and spectators converge on the UK's capital city for the 2012 Olympic Games. With the strike called off, the airport can perhaps now breathe a sigh of relief, especially with today's announcement by owner BAA that January-June 2012 saw 2.2 per cent more passengers pass through than during the same period in 2011. This helped BAA's revenue increase 8.4 per cent, to £1.16bn, it added.

"We are pleased that Olympic arrivals have gone smoothly so far but there is lots more to do", BAA's CEO, Colin Matthews, stressed in a statement. "London 2012 is Britain's biggest peacetime transport challenge and we are spending more than 20 million pounds to ensure Heathrow is ready for its busiest ever period."

PCS Airport Strike

Lawyers representing the government had today been scheduled to make a High Court visit, hoping to obtain an injunction that would have stopped the PCS airport strike from taking place.

However, Mark Serwotka - PCS General Secretary - has referred to "major progress" in discussions staged between the two sides and confirmed that over 1,000 new employment opportunities are to open up at airports including London Heathrow, Luton and Gatwick.

Pre-Olympics Strike Stopped

"We believe that significant progress means that there is now no case for the union to proceed with industrial action in terms of the one-day strike that was planned", he said, confirming the pre-Olympics strike had been stopped

‘A planned strike tomorrow (26 July) by PCS members in the Home Office has been suspended after officials told the union last night there will be significant investment in the border force and passport service and confirmed this would mean more than 1,000 new jobs', PCS earlier wrote in a statement published online.

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