Firefighters and security staff in The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) met on Monday and agreed to six one-day strikes.

Two of the dates chosen - 23 December and 2 January - are among the most popular for travellers flying in or out of the UK for the festive period.

The industrial action has been called over "sheer frustration" at the pay offer put forward by the British Airports Authority (BAA).

Meanwhile the air traffic controllers' union Prospect is expected to ballot its members on industrial action in protest at bonuses paid to two executives.

Is striking the best way to demonstrate workers' grievances? How should directors handle the dispute?

This Talking Point has now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

How about the government going on strike?

James, UK

I don't know what is going on in this country. Train drivers, firefighters, airport workers, tube drivers, postal workers ... Why don't we assign a special strike month in which everyone who wants to strike does it, and after that things go on as normal? Or how about the government going on strike? This would be an interesting thing to see.
James, UK

I am supposed to visit my sister in the UK this December for the first time, and my flight home is scheduled for the 23rd. I cannot take the chance of missing Christmas with my husband back home in the States so I may have to reschedule altogether, which would then leave my sister alone over the holidays. Of course we all want fair pay, but the timing is terrible and obviously meant to hurt as many people as possible.
Tiffani, USA

Employment in this country is fast turning into a lottery as regards rights and conditions. While employers keep taking on contractors, to keep their headcount down, this reduces their direct liability. They can award the employees of the company pay rises, and conveniently forget about all the contractors, most of which do all the legwork! This leads to fat cats, and nice dividends to shareholders, and next to nothing on the front line for the workers. It's about time corporate UK began taking responsibility for its staff and stopped looking after the profit margins, and the bosses.
Anthony, England

I get to see my family once a year, and to have this threatened by upset guards and firemen who want more money makes me mad. We all want more cash but in this economic climate we who are still working should be delighted that there are jobs to go to every day.
Marcus Burtenshaw, English in Bangkok

This strike means that thousands of people may not get home for Christmas and others have their holidays ruined. I am meant to be flying out of Heathrow on 28th Nov for a few days holiday that I have worked very hard for. I get paid less then those who are striking and think that they have no right to hold everyone to ransom ruining family holidays and Christmas's.
Annoyed, UK

The Unions should compensate those innocent members of the public who will have to incur additional costs to fly out at another date, like myself who saved for months to be able to see my immediate family in South Africa. Whilst I can appreciate the desire for better pay, these people were well aware of what their salary would be when they took up their employment. They were not forced to work as firemen or staff of BAA. Those in the private sector would be sacked if they were to demand large salary increases or hold their employees ransom! What then about teachers, nurses etc?
Shelton Kartun, UK

With today's threat levels we need well motivated and rewarded people on the front line

Ernie Felton, UK

You get the level of security you are prepared to pay for. With today's threat levels we need well motivated and rewarded people on the front line. Yet by striking they will achieve exactly nothing - jobs will be cut to ensure short-term profit targets are met. What is more worrying though is that the airport disruption will provide a window of opportunity for terrorists. Both sides need to get around the ACAS table and sort it before we watch another aviation tragedy unfold on CNN.
Ernie Felton, UK

It really annoys me when people say that striking is the only option. The fat cats don't care if Joe Public have hassle getting to work or have to rearrange travel plans. Unions should think of more creative ways of hitting the employers where it hurts - their pockets! In Europe rail workers refused to accept money for fares for a day which soon go the employers trying to sort it out. Not all professions can do this but there must be other ways which don't just turn the public against the workers.
Bev, UK

Although I agree with what they are asking for, I feel that strike action is the wrong way to go about it. This just forces the public to lose out, especially those who can't afford to change flights or holiday plans at the last minute. Surely there is a better way to agree terms. If the Government didn't waste so much public revenue on "domes", "parliament buildings (�350 Million)" and other ventures which lose money, extra revenue would surely be available for the public services sector. The Country is being driven by greed, in all walks of life.
Stuart, Scotland

The BAA should be ashamed of themselves. In my opinion, the facilities for passengers at Heathrow are abysmal. They seem to have forgotten that airports are for people who wish to travel and not those who wish to shop. Pay your staff a decent wage, after all you charge almost �40 a day to park a car!.
Paul, UK

I, like many other British work monkeys, have had enough of low quality of life in this nation. Great swathes of the workforce are under paid, under trained, and under appreciated and this needs to be addressed before our social economy implodes. To ease the strain of this year's redundancies, increased cost of living and impossible London commutes, I planned Christmas away leaving on 23 December. Does the message hit the right target when you choose the holiday period of other under paid employees to make your stand?
Tara, UK

This dispute will be sorted out before it gets to the strike stage. If 1.7% is above the rate of inflation why is it that my Council Tax was allowed to increase by 15%, is it any wonder that people want a greater raise in pay, to pay for the ever increasing services. Do you think that Tony Blair or John Prescott have this problem? No, because the they awarded themselves a 40% increase pay rise. When others ask for the same the reply is what a ridiculous claim.
John, England

As someone who is scheduled to fly on several of the dates announced for the strikes, my initial reaction to the news was an angry one. However, as long as this country perceives the value of a footballer to be greater than the value of a fire fighter, doctor, air traffic control operative or any other professional which ensures the safety and welfare of the public, then the decline in our essential industries will continue to bring shame on us.
Adam, England

The travel industry is still recovering from the tragic events of September 11. Strikes cost money. In the short term the strikers may benefit from increased pay, but where will they be when jobs have to cut because of increased costs.
Jane, UK

I certainly know why these people are fighting for what they deserve

Geoff C, UK

I see lots of comments about how it's holding the public to ransom, yet ask any one of them how they would feel to get 1.9% pay rise for what can be a very demanding job. I will fly out over the Xmas period and will meet delays I'm sure but I certainly know why these people are fighting for what they deserve
Geoff C, UK

Unions are essentially undemocratic these days: They represent a minority of the workforce, only a minority of their members gets to vote. This means that only a fraction of the workforce is evidently in favour of a strike. It is time for the public to take the unions on as politicians appear to be unable to do so!
NE, UK

The right to strike is a fundamental one, though the power of the unions has to be carefully balanced. In the seventies they were too strong, but Thatcher broke them too far in the eighties. For the unions to get the public support (which is essential in any major strike) they have to have exhausted all other options first.
David Patrick, UK

I like many ex-pats returning for Christmas will be affected by the strike. It will be an inconvenience, but as I support the firemen's cause I'll accept it. Fire fighting is a skilled and dangerous job, especially where jet fuel is involved. The firemen need wages to live on, and in the South East especially the firemen are almost living at poverty level.
Gavin Pearson, English in Detroit, USA

Yet again the we are forced to read of more strike threats whilst hearing that UK fat cat directors salaries have risen by over three times the rate of inflation. Yet again public service workers are forced to work in dangerous squalid conditions to save the lives of lesser mortals whilst we hear of footballers earning �40,000 per week for not playing.

The average annual "drones" salary is less than �25,000 and the average director earns over �200,000. The average house price for greater London is nearly �300,000.If you live in London you now need to earn over �60,000 pa to afford an "average" property. Anyone else managed to work out the connection yet? Yawning gap between rich and "the rest" = increased poverty = spiralling street crime as more and more so called middle income individuals are forced below the poverty line. All whilst we work the longest hours in Europe in order to not be able to afford to buy a garden shed to live in. And some people wonder why there are strike threats.
Jane Gibbons, Soon to be Third World Britain

I notice that the proposed strikers come from skilled groups of workers. They know that they cannot easily be replaced, and that their position is therefore strong. In my opinion, their strength is greater than that of their employers. Perhaps we need to redress the balance between the rights of the worker to withhold labour, and the rights of the employer to dispense with labour. Either make it easier for bosses to sack strikers, or harder for workers to go on strike.
John, England

The general public are simply pawns to the union leaders

Mike, UK

The general public are simply pawns to the union leaders, whose aims are purely political. So what if people cannot be with their loved ones at Christmas, that's not their problem and just helps them to score their political points. The public probably won't be able to get to the airport anyway because of rail strikes, and this assumes that they have not perished beforehand owing to no fire cover. Just political, nothing else...
Mike, UK

I can understand the frustrations of the strikers. I think we all can. We all come across greedy corporate bosses. However, with our lives already being threatened by terrorists in the skies and the worlds tourism taking a battering, this perhaps is a time to pull together as a nation rather than cause more undue hassle, stress, worry and inconvenience for a general public who have only today been warned to be extra vigilant running up to Christmas. Striking and causing chaos at airports will again knock an already flagging travel/tourism industry - meaning these very people may find they do not even have a job to strike from in the new year.
Jo, UK

A friend and I are due to fly out of Heathrow on the 28th November, and assuming these strikes go ahead, we'll have to bring our departure forward by a day, probably incurring some nasty costs. Of course it's inconvenient, and for two students, costly too. But I get the impression that if these workers are moved to strike, it's because their pay and conditions are far more so.
Livi Ruffle, UK

This will do a lot of good for the tourist industry in the UK which is already in a terrible state. I think the people who voted to strike are very selfish. The airline should sack them all and employ new people. In today's economic climate they are lucky to have a job. I think it is disgusting to make the public pay just because they want to have more money.
Johanna Pablorare, Florida, USA

I think the Unions should compensate the public

Lee, England

I now need to change flights and Hotels for my family and it is estimated to be an extra �649 for all changes to be made. If someone came up to me in the street and robbed me of �649 the police would prosecute them, yet here when the net loss is the same, I am powerless to do anything. I think the Unions should compensate the public that they rob of hard earned cash. This is the first family holiday in years as it takes a lot of saving up when you have 3 children. They say employers abuse their power, yet the Unions seem intent on using their power to not just get a message across but to actually take money from the poor and hurt powerless people. I am so disappointed and don't know what to tell the kids. Any ideas?
Lee, England

This will also likely affect my travel plans around Christmas. These days jobs such as these should be considered essential services, but well paid essential services. Perhaps binding arbitration with an arbitrator both parties respect would be better than a strike.
David Wharmby, Canada

I will have to change my flight schedules which will cost me several hundred dollars and I intend suing the Trade Union that is responsible for this reprehensible action. Who will join in a class action lawsuit??
Tilden-smith, USA

I don't think this justifies creating misery for travellers.

Anon, UK

I wish workers in dispute would find a way of voicing their frustration without holding the general public to ransom. I appreciate that striking over Christmas will ensure maximum impact, but I don't think this justifies creating misery for travellers. We already had to suffer through tube and firefighter strikes this year!
Anon, UK

It is never right to hold the general public to ransom to force an employer to increase a pay award.
Ron Fowler, England

Unfortunately, in these days of corporate fat cats, striking is the ONLY way you can be heard. The top management get massive 150% pay rises, 7 figure bonuses, while those on the front line get 1%, or pay cuts, extended hours, or made redundant. There comes a point when you get tired of banging your head against a wall and have to be heard
Vish, UK

Normally, I am not in agreement with a strike, especially as it will affect my Christmas travel plans. But, when senior management continuously ignores the opinions and needs of the people who make the machine work, more extreme action must be taken.
Marcus Dixon, , USA

I was informed that I would have to pay �190 to change my flight

Gordy Rampling, UK

Not only am I now going to have to re-arrange a flight out of Heathrow originally booked for the 28th I was informed by my carrier that I would have to pay �190 to change my flight to go out on another day. I would think that the executives involved might re consider awarding themselves a big bonus? Or perhaps I could invoice them for the extra I have to pay for being inconvenienced!
Gordy Rampling, UK

I think it's an absolute disgrace that, yet again, the public should be made to suffer in this way. It's time legislation was introduced to ban strikes by firefighters and certain other workers
David, UK

Having observed industrial relations in countless situations, I can well understand that workers ultimately have no other means of achieving what they feel is just than by striking - and I happen to be planning to fly to one of the airports affected on one of the strike days. As for their getting another job - not exactly a realistic option in the current economic climate. Bosses are well aware of their strengths in a labour market where supply far exceeds demands.
David Wright, Austria

As an ex-air traffic controller (military) I have every sympathy for the controllers employed by Nats. The bonuses paid to the directors can not possibly be justified - they should do the decent thing and give the money to charity. Striking is not the best action to take - rather a work to rule where the controlled only handle a limited amount of aircraft at one time.
Martin Grant, Scotland

The threat of striking is the only way to ensure the air traffic controllers' point of view is heard. This is another example of arrogant corporate greed, with the workers at the 'coal face' again being treated with contempt, while the fat cats who don't need any more fill their boots.
Ged Mcdonald, England