Striking Heathrow builders mount picket lines

Workers helping to build the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport mounted picket lines today as they launched four days of industrial action in a dispute over pay.

Hundreds of employees of contractors Laing O’Rourke staged a 24 hour strike and will ban overtime this weekend before walking out again on Monday.

A Heathrow spokeswoman said the strike had no impact on the T5 project, which is due to open in 2008, as most of the 8,000 workers were not involved in the row.

The GMB and the Transport and General Workers Union are seeking a rise of £1 (€1.45) an hour in bonus pay and have been offered 67p.