Heathrow airport has drafted in extra staff to help minimise disruption after ground handlers went ahead with a planned 24-hour strike.
The UK’s largest airport said all operations are running normally despite the walkout over a delayed 2013 pay award, which Unite union said was “due months ago”.
The industrial action is taking place in terminals one, two and three and started at 0001 Friday morning.
ASIG has already offered a 5.5 per cent pay increase over two years but Unite claims this is unacceptable “given the soaring cost of living”.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “ASIG has contingency plans in place to minimise disruption for passengers and we currently running a normal operation.
“Heathrow has extra staff on duty to support passengers with their journey. Passengers should allow plenty of time for travelling through the airport and speak to their airline if they have any concerns,” the spokesperson added.
Earlier this week, Unite said the dispute could cause “chaos” and that should get management “around the table again” to negotiate a deal.