FORTHCOMING SECURITY WALK OUT AT EGCC
FROM TONIGHTS "MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS"
. .Walk-outs bring air chaos fears Email this to a Friend
PASSENGERS at Manchester Airport face severe disruption from next Monday when security staff walk out in the first of six, hour-long stoppages.. .Union bosses today will tell the airport management they are planning walk-outs on the mornings of Monday February 4, Thursday February 7 and Saturday February 9.
Most of the stoppages will be for one hour before 8am each day. The pattern is set to be repeated the following week and striking workers will set up picket lines around the three terminals.
If the strikes go ahead, it would mean chaos for holidaymakers and business commuters, who could miss meetings and flight connections.
Meanwhile airport bosses have recruited an army of private security workers to prevent the airport from grinding to a halt.
Senior managers were due to meet union officials tomorrow - but the dispute today showed no signs of being resolved.
Nearly 600 airport security workers were told on Friday that their contracts will expire in 90 days.
They will be offered controversial new contracts. ''The company has made the situation worse because they have effectively issued redundancy notices,'' said Transport and General Workers Union regional spokesman Dave McCall.
90-day notice
An airport spokeswoman confirmed the 90-day notice had been issued but insisted no jobs would be lost.
She also revealed a further 20 security staff had signed up to the new contracts, bringing the total to 170.
Security staff are furious over airport plans to introduce new shifts, slash wages and cut up to 150 posts.
One said: ''I've got a mortgage and kids and they want to slash my wages by 40 per cent.
''It's outrageous, especially given the fact the chief executive had a pay rise of £90,000. I don't want what he's got. I just want to keep my standard of living.''
Chief executive Geoff Muirhead saw his salary rise from £160,000 to £250,000 last year while the airport is seeking to cut costs.
An airport spokeswoman said it had to compete in the market for chief executives just as it had to compete for security staff.
Union spokesman Mr McCall added: ''It's inevitable that passengers are going to be affected, as much as we want to try to minimise that.
''That's why we are not carrying out continuous action. We just hope passengers will bear with us while we try to sort the dispute out.
''Attacking the security operation in the aftermath of September 11 is a bizarre thing to do.''
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Lets see Uncle Geoff sort this one.........