Heathrow Airport is giving a pay rise to at least 1,300 staff members who work in its supply chain.
The move is part of the ‘Heathrow 2.0: Connecting people and the planet’ strategy, under which the London hub has pledged to build back better and greener, tackling environmental as well as social challenges.
As part of the 2.0 strategy, Heathrow will extend the London Living Wage to all the 1,300 people working in its direct supply chain, providing a total boost of at least £4.5m for airport workers at companies including outsourcer Mitie and car park operator APCOA.
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“Heathrow’s move will provide a stable and secure rate that will ensure over 1,300 workers and their families earn what they need to get by,” Katherine Chapman, director at the Living Wage Foundation, said.
“In the backdrop of rising costs of living and spiralling inflation, this extra financial buffer will prove even more important.”
The strategy also sets out an “ambitious series of goals” over the next decade to tackle the growing climate emergency, decarbonise flight and continue to improve the area around the airport for those who live and work in it.
Heathrow announced the launch of its Sustainable Travel Zone, a network of subsidised travel routes to and from the airport to make it more attractive for colleagues and passengers to take public transport, reducing congestion on local roads, and improving local air quality.
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Under Heathrow 2.0 strategy, the hub aims to deliver a 15% reduction of carbon from flights compared with 2019, while cutting at least 45% of on-ground CO2 emissions by 2030.
John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow chief executive, said: “The launch of our refreshed Heathrow 2.0 strategy is a landmark moment in our sustainability journey, one which accelerates the shift in our industry towards a greener future.
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