Heathrow is facing fresh three-day strikes as refuellers rejected a revised pay offer.
Unite union said the strike by staff at refuelling firm Aviation Fuel Services (AFS) would cause delays for hundreds of flights at Britain’s busiest airport from this Thursday.
Most schools will be breaking up on Thursday, clashing with the same day the strikes will begin.
AFS provides services to more than 70 airlines at the airport, including Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Emirates and Singapore Airlines.
Employees had been given a revised pay offer with a 10% increase, which was rejected by Unite members because it “did not meet their expectations,” as quoted in Sky News.
Unite added that staff had not received a pay rise in three years, and saw their actual wage fall by 15% when accounting for inflation.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said AFS is "wholly owned by incredibly wealthy energy companies who are entirely able to provide our members with a decent pay increase.”