Strikes planned by hundreds of workers at Heathrow for Friday have been called off, union leaders said, as it presents a revised pay offer to its members.
However, the dates announced for action over the Christmas and New Year period will remain pending the vote.
Unite said the action was called off after the latest talks as a “goodwill gesture”. Earlier, he announced that ground handlers at Britain’s biggest airport had rejected the latest “miserable” pay offer from their employer, Menzies, and called new strike dates.
A 72-hour strike that will begin on Friday at 4 am has ended. A further 72-hour strike is planned, unless the deal is accepted, starting on Thursday 29 December and ending at 3.59am on Sunday 1 January.
The dispute involves more than 400 workers employed by Menzies as ground handlers operating from Terminals 2, 3 and 4 at Heathrow.
The post-Christmas shutdown would also coincide with a planned strike by Border Force staff, Unite said.
Unite regional officer Kevin Hall said: “Unite has been adamant that Menzies was able to deliver an improved pay offer and this has proved to be the case.
“As an act of goodwill, the strike planned for tomorrow has been suspended so that members can be voted on the new offer.”
The strike is unlikely to cause widespread disruption for passengers departing Heathrow, with neither British Airways, which operates around half of all Heathrow flights, nor Virgin Atlantic affected.
A Heathrow spokesman previously said the “vast majority of passengers will not be affected” by the planned strikes, adding: “We have not been informed of any flight cancellations as a direct result of this action and We encourage passengers flying on the small number of affected airlines to check directly with their airline for the most recent information.”
Menzies Aviation said it was disappointed Unite rejected its “extremely competitive” offer, which the GMB union had accepted. A spokesman said: “We are well prepared for industrial action and have been working closely with key partners to put robust contingency plans in place.
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During similar industrial action in November, Heathrow said no flights were canceled as a result of the strike.
The Border Force strike is likely to only affect inbound flights, and while it is likely to cause delays and longer queues at immigration for tourists returning after Christmas, airlines have said they are confident they will be able to operate flights without widespread interruptions.
The additional strikes by Unite will add to the general wave of industrial action over the winter, with nurses striking on Thursday and further rail strikes starting again on Friday.