Heathrow Airport says it has contingency plans to remain open and operational if security workers walk off the job on March 31 as planned. The strike action – scheduled to take place at Terminal Five over the busy Easter Break – will last 10 days through Easter Sunday on April 9.

The union Unite says more than 1,400 security guards employed by the airport, one of Europe’s busiest, will strike to demand better pay. It is the latest in a wave of strike actions to affect the UK.

Unite says those striking include guards who work at Terminal Five, which is used exclusively by British Airways, as well as those responsible for checking all cargo that enters the airport.

The strikes will coincide with the two-week Easter school holidays, traditionally a peak time for travel for many in Britain.

The union says workers are forced to take action because they cannot make ends meet as a cost-of-living crisis continues to affect millions of Britons. Heathrow has offered a 10% pay increase, but the union says that isn’t enough amid soaring inflation and following years of pay freezes.

“Workers at Heathrow Airport are on poverty wages while the chief executive and senior managers enjoy huge salaries,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham says.

Inflation in the UK climbed steeply last year to 11.1% in October, though it dropped to 10.1% in January. That’s still the highest in about 40 years, and a dramatic change after years of 2% inflation.

Heathrow says it has plans to keep the airport open and operational, stating: “Threatening to ruin people’s hard-earned holidays with strike action will not improve the deal.”

On the weekend, thousands of rail workers staged another round of strikes that paralyzed about half of all train services across the UK.

Britons have endured many days of train stoppages since last summer as the transport unions’ bitter dispute with the government drags on. More strikes are planned on March 30 and April 1.