Steelworkers at Heathrow win pay rise

Steelworkers constructing Heathrow's Terminal 5 (T5) have been awarded an extra £1 an hour by the arbitration service ACAS.

Manufacturing union Amicus had argued that their employer, BAA, set a precedent for other trades on site when it agreed to a pay rise for T5 electricians.

The steelworkers are employed under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI), and BAA said at the arbitration hearing that the increase would have a "significant negative impact on the agreement".

ACAS ruled in the workers' favour, but limited the backdating of the increase to June (rather than January, as Amicus had sought) and made clear that the award is specific to T5.