Heathrow Airport strikes this weekend have been suspended as workers vote on new pay offer
STRIKES due to take place at Heathrow Airport this weekend have been suspended, Unite the union said.
However, strikes for August are currently still going ahead.
, Unite said that the strikes, set to take place on Friday July 26 and Saturday July 27, have now been suspended "while the workforce votes on a new pay offer".
It follows ongoing talks between the union and Heathrow Airport over pay.
The union said it won't be revealing details of the pay offer until its members have voted on the new deal.
Around 500,000 passengers are due to travel through the airport on Friday July 26 and Saturday July 27 according to Heathrow.
The strikes over pay were announced by Unite the union earlier this month.
It said that over 4,000 workers, including security guards, engineers, passenger service operatives and passenger service drivers were planning to walk out over the coming months.
The original dates were Friday July 26 and Saturday July 27, Monday August 5 and Tuesday August 6, and Friday August 23 and Saturday August 24.
According to the union, the walkout "could potentially shut down the airport".
But while strikes planned for Friday July 26 and Saturday July 27 are now off, the ones planned for August are still on the table until members vote on the deal.
STRUCK OUT Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airport strikes that could cause travel chaos for Brits this summer
Earlier this week, over 90 firefighters and fire and rescue staff working at Heathrow have voted to join the strikes from August in a dispute over pay .
The firefighters and fire and rescue staff will be striking on the same dates as other Heathrow staff - on Monday August 5, Tuesday August 6, Friday August 23 and Saturday August 24.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: "We are pleased that Unite have decided to put our offer to our colleagues and to pause industrial action on 26 and 27 July.
"We welcome this outcome, as will thousands of passengers, whose holidays will now go to plan this weekend.
"The proposed deal provides significantly above inflation pay rises for all colleagues. We believe this offer is rewarding and importantly gives our colleagues long term wage certainty and job security.
"Passengers are advised to keep in touch with their airlines for the latest information on their flight and follow our Twitter and Facebook accounts for further updates."
Will I get my money back if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
If your flight is cancelled, you have the legal right to either a full refund within seven days or a replacement flight to your destination.
This applies for whatever reason your flight was cancelled or how long before you were told it would no longer be be flying.
If your flight is delayed by three hours or more and you were flying to or from a European airport, or with an EU-based airline such as Ryanair or British Airways, then you can claim compensation up to €250 (£229) for short-haul flights and €400 (£367) for mid-haul flights and €600 (£530) for long-haul flights.
But the airline might not payout if it's out of their control, for example, due to bad weather or strikes.
Heathrow said that the latest offer means frontline staff will receive a pay increase of 7.3 per cent over two years.
It added that the pay increase is higher than those recently offered to public sector staff and the airport's own managerial team.
The airport had previously proposed a 4.6 per cent pay increase for 70 per cent of its frontline staff, with the remainder to receive 3.2 per cent increase over 18 months.
Most read in travel
There are a number of other strikes that could affect Brits this summer.
Ryanair pilots are currently voting on whether or not to strike.
BA pilots have also voted for strike action although the dates have yet to be confirmed.