MAN Security has halved!
AIR SECURITY HAS HALVED
Metro News by Helen Tither 15/08/2003
SECURITY guards are leaving Manchester Airport at the rate of around seven a week, according to trade union officials. Wage cuts of around £10,000, on top of an increase in working hours have virtually halved the number of security staff compared to this time last year. one Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) official said. As reported In last week's
Metro News, the dramatic fall in the number of guards has led to lengthy queues around the main departures hall as passengers wait to clear security One high ranking airline official said his company had complained to airport bosses about the situation.
Now, whistleblowers have contacted Metro News claiming the situation is so bad extra staff being drafted in from other airports. One security guard, who did not wish to be identified, said guards from Humberside Airport, which
is owned by Manchester Airport Group, had been sent over to cover a shortfall in staff.
"The airport are desperate for people to do overtime and are phoning everyone up everyone is obviously refusing.
"Ifs just horrendous, every time you go In there are queues. Another four guards have left this week and they
aren't replacing them. They brought six guards In from Humberside Airport.
"They must be paying them more than they are paying us. They have started offering us time and a half until
the end of October but no one is doing It.
"Last Saturday people were in the queue for at least one and half hours but the airport say it is 30 minutes."
One TGWU official confirmed there had been reports of extra staff drafted m from other airports.
He said senior managers at the airport who are on wages several times higher than security guards are being called in to load baggage screening machines because of the lack of staff.
"I have heard that the staff from Humberside Airport were In a couple of days ago.
"I would say the number of staff has definitely halved. Staff are complaining all the time. The main complaint is
long hours and on top of that they are asking them to do over time but they haven't got any days off to do it in.
"Over the last few weekends we have had managers loading and checking bags because we are so short staffed and they are on £70,000 a year. If they had decent wages they could probably get staff."
Meanwhile, TGWU rep Brian Bowan said the union are still in official dispute with the airport over the
changes to pay and conditions in the security department.
"The company were asking our members to do overtime at the weekends and the up take was virtually zilch," he said. "I heard they were going to make approaches to see if they could get security workers from other airports. "Our members are totally and utterly demoralised and they won't cooperate at all. Relations aren't good at the moment. We are still officially in dispute."
When approached by Metro News, Manchester Airport refused to confirm or deny that guards had been brought in from other airport.
David Teale, managing director of Manchester Airport Aviation Services, said in July, almost 93 percent of
passengers went through security in less than four minutes. At peak periods, there are inevitably some queues but we are working with our staff to resolve this." In a comment supplied by the airport, Martyn Davies, Chairman of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), said: "We are all working together to resolve the security Issues at peak periods and are very happy with the action Manchester Airport 'is taking."