Stansted handling

[tgwu stn]

I am very sorry to hear about the redundancies at Servisair.
They are a good multi-skilled workforce on the Ramp.
I hope they clear out the deadwood at last, too much overhead in the business and come back stronger and better for it.
Everybody at Servisair knows were the redundancies should come from remains to be seen if happens.

[Dispatchbird]

Everyone else is sorry to hear that too but they haven't happened yet. . . . . . . . if that do at all! :rolleyes:

[electricdeathjet]

Very quiet thread..... is all well :confused:

[Hawker Demon]

Things are looking better at Servisair but still far from well. It would just be nice to read something intelligent written by someone who actually knows what they're talking about, that would be worth replying to.

[trap2]

could'nt agree more hawker. looks like there's a solution to any job loses at s/air.so lets be grateful with all got jobs and just get on with it!

[wozzel]

thank god for the airport.where else could you work weekends lates and all nite for 1400 pound a month ? tescos? work out your traveling tax and petrol it aint that good and 6 and 3 even worse

[D-ABAA]

Wozzel if its REALLY that bad then why are you so bothered about not being made redundant? To me it sounds like you dont like working weekends, lates etc so go find yourself an office job somewhere where I doubt you would get anywhere near you S/Air wages.

D-ABAA

[wozzel]

i have never been so happy at work .great ramp staff great undercroft great ALL ROUND STAFF .but never have i worked with such men and women that are so under appreciated . why do they stay at s/a ? institutionalized or brain washed?

[TUGNBAR]

but never have i worked with such men and women that are so under appreciated .

Welcome to reality wozzel..........its the same everywhere S.Air are no different to anywhere else ................try being a nurse...........

[D-ABAA]

wozzelD Abba
i have never been so happy at work .great ramp staff great undercroft great ALL ROUND STAFF .but never have i worked with such men and women that are so under appreciated . why do they stay at s/a ? institutionalized or brain washed


I think you just answered your own question wozzel

[TOWTEAMBASE]

pooor ol wozzle, you REALLY have got a 1 track mind. As been said, lets talk about the fact that jobs CAN be saved, if the union decide that the shift changes are good enough. Lets face it, whatever the pattern, faceing the new year in imployment has GOT to be better than chucking out the turkey, and getting the application forms out hey. Im SURE wozzle wouldnt be one of the "ill take the redundancy" then bottles it when offered to them ha ha. fingers crossed for ALL at s/air WHATEVER the colour of your shirt. HAPPY XMAS:ok:

[wozzel]

fingers crossed that every body at s/a keeps there jobs,and a realistic solution to the immediate problem is solved,may it be a 9 and 1 shift or worse .merry christmas

[diamond hanger]

All is not good at Serviseair i'm afraid,Maxjet pulled out this morning and apparently they have a clause called 'Chapter 11' which means they can still operate but don't pay any bills for up to 6 months.Just because Servisair have the Thomas Cook contract but that's not until March 31st it doesn't mean all is rosy.Ok we may still have a job a the moment but what if you were on the list to go,how do you think you would feel then,not good i bet and i reckon you lot would be talking just like wozzel,not that you talk like that already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Each to their own as they say,happy job hunting and a merry xmas to you all,lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

[diamond hanger]

I like your way of thinking,jobs can be saved IF the union,what about the union,they can only do so much IF backed by it's members!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

[diamond hanger]

Wow,stop the press. Are you asuming something,do you know asuming is the mother of all f**k ups!!!!!!

[TOWTEAMBASE]

I think you will find that the union didnt give its members a choice in the matter.And as for maxjet, you will probably find servisair were the ONLY ones to paid, poor ol aviance, they recruited, and now wil have to let people go before they start, maxjet scre**d us ALL over. Good luck to all at maxjet (well most anyway) :ok:

[TOWTEAMBASE]

oh, and diamond.......learn to SPELL servisair :=

[TOWTEAMBASE]

NOW who is the prat

[wozzel]

who.. please tell more.

[wozzel]

poor old max jet tried to save a few quid .made workers at servisair redundant .now on the dole them selves .

[diamond hanger]

Prat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey,fellow worker.....stop bloody contradicting yourself will you....i happen to mention a list and you jump on the band wagon...moan about the redundancies and then say hope your at the top of the list....I don't think the right hand side of your brain knows what the left hand side is doing!!!!

[diamond hanger]

Tow team base.....

Because of one letter that was hit on the keyboard by accident you have to throw in a post like that....you very sad person....christ most people on here screw up spelling...are you going to tell them aswell how to spell!!!!

Yeah-bitch-bitch-bitch

[wozzel]

diamond hanger merry christmas. if we are so short of men and in deep trouble why are the stls begging staff to come in on over time.12 men to cover 12 planes in 1 hour? i did look for a manager to ask why but they where tucked up in doors.maybe waching james bond was better than getting servis out of the s..t.

[GRIZZLER]

servisair are not short of men wozzel....they have got to many men .thats why they are going to lay people off....then it will be 6 men for 12 aircraft in one hour...get it right.

if i was a betting person....in a few weeks when the pay talks are in the air.....they will say something like..no rise or take a cut and nobody will have to go.....but you can still have the 6+3 shift....watch this space...

happy new year to you all.:)

[Goldilocks95]

if they have too many staff at stn....please tell them to come to brs-we are getting desparete now!!!!

[diamond hanger]

Goldilocks95....maybe that's why there getting shot of blokes at STN and sending them to your outfit BRS...hope they don't mind the travelling...

[diamond hanger]

You could always start the nightshift up again Grizzler,lol.

[PPRuNe Pop]

It seems that no one has the ability to make any sense on this thread. Just like the other one. I have applied a ban on one person who was winding people up. Now let us see if the others can be adult from here on in.

Happy New Year.

[greuzi]

I think what you all see here is passion.

Ground crews of all handling companies are highly committed to what they do. For many it is a life of over 5 years.
For many more, over 15. Middle management in the airlines and handlers have to toe the line between motivation, honesty and meeting the numbers.

For example, whatever the feel good factor involved in a succesful turn, it is just one TINY factor in that single hour of operation that will involve
the financing of the aircraft, crewing, fuel costs, maintenance, navigation fees, de-icing at this time of year, load factor, customer satisfaction,
catering (or not), and after it all? PROFIT and PUNCTUALITY are about all that is measured.

Aircraft simply don't launch into the sky empty or loud to make us feel good any more.....even military ones have felt the pinch.
Will NEVER happen I pray, but the Red Arrows have to justify flying around for what some consider to be 'nothing' these days.
My suggestion to all is rather than in-fighting amongst the handling uniforms, just think about what the real situation is.

Many airlines are not making much money. Their pilots, engineers and cabin crew ALL want more money too. The few airlines that do make money
are financing considerable fleet expansion so they prefer to give any 'spare' cash back to the shareholders that made it all happen for them.
Understandable?

Ground handling companies are under pressure. Many of them. The result is equipment is run until it can't make it another day,
staff are paid the least amount possible.
Handling companies fight one another for scraps of business.
Quality suffers. Then that makes it even easier to suggest a further reduction in handling charges.

For cargo, the integrators handle themselves wherever possible. It is very very expensive, but gurantees a quality that is hard to match.
Brand new equipment can sit redundant for 20hrs a day. :ugh:

So for the handlers? The IATA SGHA that was set up to simplify things has actually been part of the problem. It defines exactly what you get.
The airlines know this, so how can Servisair be different from Aviance?

In reality, the people might make the difference, but the world is run by accountants these days.
They shouldn't be blamed that they have never worked on the ramp..but they DON'T see the turn that was only made by the ramp team
that pulled a rabbit out of the hat (metaphorically speaking).

2 SGHA's...2 rates...and one is picked. The cheapest.
If they screw it up it's a 60 day termination and it is given to the next handler, till they screw up....then it is given it to a new one (or the original).
Invariably at a cheaper rate because the handler still thinks they are fighting to get the business.
Sometimes to cling on to the business, the existing handler drops the rate rather than lose the business.

Airline strategy is planned many years in advance:
Pilot recruitment (1-20yrs)
Fleet replacement (3-25 yrs)
Aircraft orders. Finance and leasing (1-30yrs)
Network and routes (3 months-10yrs)
For some even fuel hedging predicting a saving is worth the bet!

But the handling companies work on standard IATA SGHA 60 days.
Stop infighting. This isn't about unions or different uniforms.

It is about a foodchain. Skint or hungry eagles roam the sky.
Poor and tired mice live on the ground.

It will all change when the mice become scarce, but until then?

[South Side 1]

Well done and nicely putt I think you've covered just about all angles.
I think there needs to be a bit more control from the governing bodies, several enforcements to be putt in place ie 1/ a minimum handling charge 2/ a minimum (sensible) ground time 3/ and prehaps some control over how many handling agents at any one airport.

It may sound a bit harsh but it will help, you wont have handlers trying to under cut themselves just to get a scratch of work, loaders wont be breaking their backs to turn a 73-800 round in 20minutes thus reducing sickness, and finally the rumour of menzies coming into STN, there's only just enough work at STN to support the 3 agents at present.

All of this is of course is just in an ideal world, where the people who actually make the decisions come and have a look at an operation instead of just watching it on 'Airport' !?!

[diamond hanger]

Heads up...Has anyone heard from the meeting on friday with the big wigs and union about what's happening at work with the redundancys.......No news down the smoking hut nor around the restroom OR back office......Has it all been called off or are the management changing the shift patterns to bugger the work force up and recruit men for the permenant night shift so we all do 4/2 shifts.....lovely(not)!!!!!!!!!!!

[groundhand]

Greuzi,

A good post but the SGHA does not set the handling standards just the services to be provided, the handling standards are set by a separate Service Level Agreement SLA and this is where the variations come in; but you are right about the food chain effect.

One of the issues is that VERY few airlines want to talk real service levels at contract time; they contract on price and then argue the SLA up after the contract award.

Southside.

Trying to regulate the ground business would be a nightmare.
Standard ground times will never go back to the 45-60 for a B737 turn, nor should they in the majority of cases.
The problem is that few airlines actually understand or are prepared to anlyse their route network and adjust their ground times accordingly.
EZY did look at a 3 stage system (Clockwork programme?) some time ago but never adopted it. They were looking at business to business (ie lower bag loads; business to leisure and then leisure to leisure where the bag loads are highest. Servisair, as they were the main EZY handlers in those days, did a huge data analysis programme to understand and justify the differentials and then came Menzies and it all got blown away.

It seems rational to have a 20 min turnround on a B737 (it can be done, and it can be safe for all) but only if the bulk load is limited; when you get full B738 bag loads in and out then the groundtime needs to be extended. Add cargo into the mix and it gets more complicated. Trying to regulate this (domestically and internationally) would be almost impossible but local knowledge, flight schedules and historic data etc. could make the airlines far more responsive.

It is unlikely that airlines will ever adopt a rational approach as long as the current SGHA indemifies them against any claims for injuries sustained by the employees of the ground handling (or other serevice providing) companies and the short termination clauses are sustained.

There is an experitment ongoing (at least I think it is still ongoing) at LAX where the airport have set a minimum hourly pay rate for all handling companies to stop the downward contracting spiral - it will be interesting if it is a success. The idea was to set a rate that could attract AND retain good employees rather than offering pay based on a decreasing revenue base which meant taking whoever you could get at the rate offered - sound familiar?

Just as in the charter airline business I think that within the next 24 months, maybe sooner, there will be some major rationalisation within the European handling companies that will see fewer trading in the market; that in turn will than give them the opportunity to improve their rates.

[South Side 1]

Very interesting reading your reply Groundhand, I agree it would be a nightmare to implement but thought it would make the ground politics a bit easier but you've mentioned some very good facts and points which is always good.

I have heard a little rumour which some of you may find interesting but it will probably be dismissed, or some of you may already have heard, the merger of Servisair ramp and cargo and the operation to be run from the cargo building, to save money....................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Probably just idel gossip.

[D-ABAA]

No official word on the merge of Cargo and the ramp so far, but what do you expect? Cargo say they have had builders in the shed and from what they got told it is to move the ops into the shed to run like Aviance, from Cargo.

[EC-ILS]

This is really sad to hear! I worked for Servisair (not in STN) for over 2 years.

Its a great place to start and Ive since moved onto bigger and better things!

Good look to all whatever happens!

[sat1]

It is unlikely that airlines will ever adopt a rational approach as long as the current SGHA indemifies them against any claims for injuries sustained by the employees of the ground handling (or other serevice providing) companies and the short termination clauses are sustained.


Dream on....Any aircraft location be it cabin or hold is a working environment for someone,therefore,health and safety law applies to the operator....ignore that at your peril!!!

[greuzi]

Groundhand,

Accept your point regarding the SLA defining the standards of service. Was a long post so I wanted to keep it simple.

Many airlines will issue an RFP defining the standards/timings they require so in the end it does just become just a numbers game which is unfortunate.

People do make a difference to service delivery but this is not always seen by airline procurement departments, as many of those people haven't worked at the sharp end. It still remains a case of A cheaper than B in most cases.

It will change in time as the current situation is not sustainable. Is just not nice to see the different handling uniforms falling out in the meantime.

[groundhand]

Sat 1

You are right in thinking that but wrong in the reality of how the HSE manage the legislation in the workplace.

There is evidence to support the fact that the HSE do not recognise that the inside of the aircraft hold is the responsibiulity of the operator, they see the control of this working environment as the responsibility of the employer of the worker. Part of the rationale in this is the difficulty the HSE would have in processing any enforcement notices/prosecutions issued to a foreign operated aircraft. it seems that the Act does not cover this; another example would be Embassies of foreign powers, as small pockets of foreign land, are also not covered by the Act.

It gets further complicated by the bag hall (normally Airport owned and operated) and airline use of 3rd party ULD's.
The ground handling industry has tried very hard to pursuade the HSE to either issue enforcement notices or bring prosecutions against UK owned airlines where there is clear evidence of breaches in HSE legislation but they are VERY reluctant to do aso and, to the best of my knowledge, have never issued such an enforcement notice nor prosecuted any UK airline for a breach of HSE legislation relating to an issue with regard to a third party employee within an aircraft hold. They have, however, taken action against employers of workers injured whilst working within an aircraft hold. It also has to be said that the UK airlines generally do not support the UK handling companies in their efforts to get this changed; some of the biggest UK based carriers are very strong in their challenge that it is not within their powers to control this environment in the real world.

Examples of where I believe they could take action, but have failed to do so, would be an airline that did not maintain their inhold handling system to a reasonable standard; airlines who do not maintain the hold floor; airlines who insist on using damaged and dangerous ULD's; airlines who, by the terms of thier contracts, do not control the individual piece weights of either baggage or cargo.


The Ramp is a veery complicated area of operation in relation to responsibility in terms of H&S.
Take an example:

Airline A operate B738's and has a contracted bagagge allowance of 25kgs per passenger and allows pooling for groups. They also have a a 32kg maximum item limit.
Airline A contract check to Handling Agent 1.
Airline A contract Handling Agent 2 to provide ramp services.

A group of 4 check-in.
They have 3 bags; 1x22kgs 1x 31kgs 1 x 34kgs
The check-in agent fails to notice that one bag is 34kgs and ladso fails to HEA tag both the bags of 31kgs and 34kgs.
During the loading of the aircraft a loader inhoild damages his lower back having positioned the 22kg bag and the 34kg bag he feels his back pop whilst lifting the 31kg bag into position.

Who is at fault?
The airline for operating an aircraft where manual handling of anything over the 5-7kgs range has been proven to be dangerous to the individual by the HSE manual handling experts?

Boeing for manufacturing an unsafe tool?

Handling company 1 for not controlling the check-in correctly and refusing the 34kg bag and failing to HEA tag the 2 bags?

Handling agent 2 for not having a system of work that allows it's employees to check weigh any item before handling it?

The airline for not controlling it's sub-contractored handling agents?

I could go on...and on...
This is why the HSE are reluctant to get involved.

Ah, for the easy life!!
GH

[sat1]

Handling company 1 for not controlling the check-in correctly and refusing the 34kg bag and failing to HEA tag the 2 bags?
Thats a no brainer.




Also ref inboard systems u/s---the airline has a responsibility to ensure that the hold is maintained to a level whereby it is safe to work there.Its a working environment. But yes, it can be difficult,and no one wants to rock the boat too much.

[sat1]

I could go on...and on...
This is why the HSE are reluctant to get involved

Its their job,they get paid,and sometimes a test case is the only way forward.Relunctancy in this instance smacks of a true lack of willingness to actually 'make a difference'---or maybe i've been in aviation tooooooooo long!

[groundhand]

Sat 1

Handling company 1 for not controlling the check-in correctly and refusing the 34kg bag and failing to HEA tag the 2 bags?
Thats a no brainer.

..and there is the problem.....

The ramp agent may well have lifted an overweight bag, or many, over the duration of his shift; previous shifts and working life.
At the time of the injury he was lifting a 'within limits' bag.
There is no legality to the requirement to HEA tag - it may be good procticve, recommended practice, within the SLA etc. but there is no legal recourse for failure to comply.
Same for the 32kg max - or has this now been lowered to 25Kgs?
The ramp agent is responsible for 'assessing' the load he/she is amout to move.
The ramp agent is responsible for correct manual handling techniques.

...... and so it goes on!

I think we sing from the same hymn sheet re looking after the ramp teams.
They do an incredible job in a very difficult environment.

If only some of the airline senior management and handling agents' sales teams REALLY understood how some of the decisions they make in their offices have a real impact to the people at the sharp end.

..and maybe I've been around too long as well.
GH

[PPRuNe Pop]

You name names you go!

Get this together guys or no more thread. You are just not getting the message.

PPP

[diamond hanger]

Well i never.......It's finally happened at servisair(ramp).....ramp staff being asked to cut their hours down to 30 p/w or go....I think the census of the people who got the letter is...GO!

It's a shame because there are some good team players who have decided to go.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do on the outside people.....

[Hawker Demon]

Because of the selection criteria insisted on by the union a lot of good experienced long serving members of staff now face having their hours cut or being made redundant.

Remember not every union rep has your best interests at heart.

And not every manager is your enemy.

[tgwu stn]

Get your facts right Hawker its not the Union Reps that make people redundant the company Servisair make that decision.
The selection criteria used : short term sickness (odd days off),Disciplinary warnings,no service or skill level could have been taken account or the people made redundant would be still there.
The employees made redundant were on the top end of the pay scale (Team-leaders etc) on old Servisair contracts good sick pay and final salary pension scheme.
I do not think this coincidence this is a plan to get rid of high wage earners on good contracts to be replaced in the summer by poles on split shifts on new contracts.
This is a big cost cutting exercise, what a choice go on a 30 hour contract or your made redundant.:sad:
Those of you that are left standby for 4 and 2 or 6 and 3 have you got any b:mad:ks at Servisair stand up for your mates!!!
You let them get rid of the best Shop Steward you ever had you are now paying the price he would have never let this happen.:=

[Hawker Demon]

I did not suggest that the union reps had made people redundant, this was clearly a company decision based on loss of work, mainly due to airlines pulling out of Stansted because of increased landing fees. But.......

Fact 1: The company did not dictate the criteria used to the union. Both parties agreed it.

Fact 2: The company only wanted to take into account employee's records going back 2 years.

Fact 3: It was the union that insisted on taking into account employee's records going back 5 years.

Fact 4: By going back 5 years it put more long serving employee's in the firing line than it would have done if they had only gone back 2 years.

[TOWTEAMBASE]

Im with you Demon, think i might save myself a few bob next month and go it alone. They even had the cheek to offer to sit in the "chat" and try save the jobs.....even after they put their members in the firing line. they gota go

[sat1]

Fact 3: It was the union that insisted on taking into account employee's records going back 5 years.



Please get your facts correct!.....they went back 3 years.....and yes i do know.

[GRIZZLER]

a quote from a earlier thread....employees that were made redundant were at the top end of the pay scale....lets hope airlines dont copy or there will be no pilots and no work for anybody.

nobody is getting the same story at servisair on how things were done....no change there then.

maybe minutes of meetings with the boss and union should have been taken and put on the wall....then every body would know the truth.

another quote about men having b:mad:ks and sticking up for others....i did slip on something in the carpark the other morning.


and as for getting rid of the best shop steward they ever had......its just shame he was not the best driver they ever had.

Tip of the week.

save your union fee and pay your car tax next year..it will help out when your on split shifts:ok:

HAPPY NEW YEAR I THINK!!

[sat1]

truthful on the outside with a nice funny bit in the middle.Keep it up Grizzler.:)

[tgwu stn]

What your all need to remember is that Servisair are making people redundant for whatever reason, and they could have stuck by their employees for two months until the summer season kicks in when they will be recruiting again.
Servisair management must be p:mad:g themselves laughing why you are all blaming the union for the redundancies you are a disgrace no unity, no b:mad:s, you elected the Shop Stewards.
I do not find it very funny when people are losing their jobs.
The roster changes on the way( ie 4 and 2, split shifts) i hope you have found your b:mad:s and a bit of unity ,while you are all blaming the union the management are having an easy time and doing what they like.

I would like to wish the people made redundant good luck and hope they get fixed up soon with a new employer.

[GRIZZLER]

yes a shop steward was elected...but what choice was there.

it was like saying, how would you like to die...hanging,electric chair or firing squad......you choose what you think is going to be less painfull...but bugger it still hurts.

and yes i am very sorry over the loss of so many jobs.......the ones that have gone ,they can be likened to the ones that were picked up in the lifeboats when the titanic went down......the rest that are still there will go down with the ship...

SERVISAIR.I.P :sad:

[TUGNBAR]

Hey guys, dont like to hear about redundancies, especaily when we all know (and as mentioned before) Servisair will be taking on new staff in about 2-3 months but on a much lower payscales.
Its a vicious circle and this time it has come back round to Servisair, next will no doubt be Aviance.
Maybe we should all keep our ears and eyes open and help each other out with information on any jobs that are out there.

Good luck

[offroader]

For us old sea dog should plug up the holes, and do what we can and keep it floating. Mind you a backbone would come in handie, and help who,s left :ugh:

[TOWTEAMBASE]

sorry to burst your bubble sat1 but it WAS 5 years........and yes....i do know 2 :8 good luck for monday :ok:

[sat1]

are you saying some one told me a porkie? Heavens above I feel all stressed out.On a more serious note, I honestly believe this is not the last of the redundancies.Any news on the thomson contract yet?

[7 golden rules]

heard this morning they still have not giving an anwser yet we will have to wait and see also heard that they have got to give 90 days notice if they decide to go more problems to deal with never mind it will all come out in the wash:ooh:

[trap2]

did hear the other day that there are a couple of new airlines coming in to Stansted starting in the summer,. know one's a greek airline not sure about the others or who will be handling them. Anyone know more??

[GRIZZLER]

its all greek to me........i heard maxjet are starting up again on april the 1st.....laker airlines are making a comeback.....british airways have had a cunning plan, they are going to call themselves B.O.A.C. and run a small outfit called B.E.A on the side....the board of trade are going to buy stn back from the baa....the airport security are going to let us take a four pint bottle of milk to work so we can have milky coffees all day....and cornflakes....also NASA have said, stn is there number one diversion runway for the space shuttle....and the airport will be closed for a week over xmas 2008..........also servisair have said they are going to start a ground handling company that looks after there workers.........but i cant see that happening.
:=

[trap2]

looks like it's goner be busy then!

[diamond hanger]

Well if NASA want the Space shuttle to come and land at STN who do you think will get the contract to offload it!!!!! Some how i don't think Servisair will,only because Aviance will under cut them(as usual) considering they have more blokes than Aircraft!

And as for BA i don't think Servisair will touch them with a barge pole !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GRIZZLER]

yes, you could be right mate....best we forget the cornflakes.:(

[GRIZZLER]

servisair are undercut...nobody seems to like them....they lay the men off...another ground handling company employ the same men ...pay them less to do the same job only better.....strange.

tip of the week. there are plenty of jobs in poland now.

also if split shifts happen....we could spend four hours a day on here between jobs...cool
;)

[offroader]

Nice to see you still have a sence of humer :D:D

[electricdeathjet]

Just checked with the tower... The Space shuttle will not be able to get a slot between 0600-2330z, dont get too excited guys!

[LONE CHOCK]

Well its finally come to this guys, dont know where Servisair are going but l wish u all the best, :ok: Iv fled the nest and it feels weird after seven years but strangely liberating for me going on to new pastures, feels like iv left my second family. who knows what the future brings good luck guys and girls be thinking of you .:D Lone Chock ;) xxx

[diamond hanger]

You done what had to be done LONE CHOCK....Srevisair are in some trouble now and i believe that in the near future the situation that the company has gone through will happen again and probably worse than before.
Who knows what they are trying to think of next in the ivory tower...oh yeah....shift changes.
As i was told by someone from servisair that they need to be implemented to try and make things run a bit smoother with in the ramp(hopefully but grizzler may not enjoy that).....And i take it that the company have finally got the 6 blokes that they needed for night shift(well almost) so good luck to them on the dead shift( i know):ok:

[GRIZZLER]

not sure why you think i dont like a smooth running ramp... just because i like a GRIZZLE.......its just that some stls dont do smooth ......and with the amount of men that have been laid off i dont think the word smooth will ever be used on the ramp again.....starting from next week.......this is the beginning of the end.
:(

[7 golden rules]

come on grizzler dont you think when things have calmed down and all things have been sorted out it will get better im sure i hope im right and your wrong we will have to wait and see:ok:

[groundhand]

Diamond and Grizz,

Oh happy days of yesteryear...history shows....
Space shuttle.
Been there, done that, got the STN teeshirt for that one.
Servisair did used to be the #1 ground operator.
Oh happy days....

Hope it gets sorted for you all.

[D-ABAA]

Any news on TOM and FCA contracts yet?

D-ABAA

[wozzel]

if every one who lost there jobs at servisair had not kept taking days off to go shooting ,fishing,or doing diy at home you would still have a job!the rest should thank the management that they had the balls to get rid of the lazy ones.LONG LIVE SERVISAIR

[sat1]

Got rid of the lazy ones!!!!!!!! Thats rich!!!!!!!!!!! I dont think you believe that for one second.......god help servisair if you do.
The next few months are going to be really interesting

[SoStanstedFuel]

Have Servisair kept the FCA contract or has that gone to someone else?

[Capt Wannabe]

Notice out from another company confirming they have won the contract at STN.

Where does this leave Servisair ?

[sat1]

Well if thats the case,look out everyone at servisair---more redundancies!!

[tgwu stn]

Wozzel
Thank management thats rich,how many white shirts have been made redundant? all got good attendance have they?
If there was a problem with attendance good management would have sorted it before now.
This is a big cost cutting exercise thats why 30 hour contracts were offered.
When the summer season starts Servisair will take on a load of poles on worst contracts and sack them in October.
There were a lot of very skilled ,loyal, hard working people made redundant not lazy.
I hope all the all the people made redundant get fixed up with employment and those that are left good luck.

[D-ABAA]

Servisair will NOT need any poles not now Swissport have won the TOM and FCA!

S/Air the end is very near!:}

D-ABAA

[diamond hanger]

It looks pretty bleak from where i'm standing for Servisair at STN...Losing the FCA & TOM contract is one hell of a kick in the teeth for all the remainding ramp workers.....So i take it they are all of to work for Swissport(either side)

Had a little conversation with a person of the airport( but i won't say who ) and they had a meeting the other day only to be told that they are not down the road BUT have had a pay increase of 10% and another 5% to follow in June/July time...Well congrats to them... Maybe everyone should apply for a job there

Good luck to all that are or have left Servisair and may the road be happy and wealthy for them.

[wozzel]

if as you imply .that these people were the most skilled loyal and hard working.why did sair let them go?cos thet didnt turn up for work;phoned in sick;or went missing .i hope the ones lelt work as hard as i did for servisair.

[sat1]

if as you imply .that these people were the most skilled loyal and hard working.why did sair let them go?cos thet didnt turn up for work;phoned in sick;or went missing .i hope the ones lelt work as hard as i did for servisair.

Hmmmmm.....you know what?????? I think you're just a tad bitter about things wozzel.................mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dispatchbird]

Thank god noone else is going now s/air have lost the Tui/First choice contract.

Well whatever happens now i can honestly say that those who are staying feel total different about the place,its a sad day when you have to say goodbye to the people you've spent the last 5-10+ years working with. Time to move on i think!
Who knows what the future brings but i wanna wish the ramp guys who have gone all the best. I'm gonna miss you lot!! :{

[twinjetter]

For anyone looking, if it helps I am "aware" of a couple of Bizjet Ops vacancies in the STN area.

PM me if interested

Steve

[TUGNBAR]

I can point someone in the direction of a Northside Company looking for some Casual Ramp workers as well.

[wozzel]

the post office in epping is after shift workers mite not be ideal but better than walking the streets.

[Xcircustiger]

Rumour has it the FCA has gone Swissport's way !
look's like they are the main handler at the moment:D

[GRIZZLER]

if i went to epping post office to get a job....and said to them that i used to be a baggage handler at stn airport......would they want to know my CASE history.

[wozzel]

working as a post person would suit the shift workers that lost there jobs.they would have to carry out there tasks to the LETTER of the law or they mite get the SACK.

[GRIZZLER]

cant see why, if you have just got the sack from one job...why you would want the sack from another.......keep me posted.

[wozzel]

its a shame if the union had STAMPED there authority may be these good men would not have been tret as SECOND CLASS workers

[GRIZZLER]

you seem to have some ideas which are first class....but delivered to late.
i think you will have to box clever from now on and you wont be licked.
you need a pat on the back.

unlike pats cat.....nothing is just black and white.....so get it sorted.

[GRIZZLER]

you said that there are some casual ramp jobs going northside...i think thats why servisair got rid of some of the blokes they did...its because they were too casual.

[wozzel]

swissport do keep winning all the latest contracts thats true ,shame they havent the skilled men to cover their work.watched a man try and offload a 73 on his own ;TOP FIRM

[sat1]

Latest rumour suggests that with all the downsizing and restructuring that has been happening with servisair at stn they are now about to reduce costs again by relocating their restroom over to sat 2 as most of their work will be there from march.

[wozzel]

servisair are in talks with two airlines one transatlantic the other based in norway.lets hope we get them,then we can get some fresh blood in the firm.not recruite other firms sicknotes like s..sp..t

[PPRuNe Pop]

Two posts deleted already. Who wants to make it more?

I have to say that I am getting more than a little fedup deleting childish and pathetic posts from the same people.

Please THINK before you post - to make sure you don't sound like you haven't got a clue how to participate in a sensible debate.

Please.......take note.

PPP

[Alan Tracey]

Hear that FlyLAL (Lithuanian Airlines) starting a daily 737 service in April after a successfull Xmas series of flights.

Also Aegean are twice daily A321 ATH service from May 15th....

[wozzel]

whos hadling them ?hope its sa

[wozzel]

the top management at servisair air had a great idea .lets pay redundancy to workers that have been here 10 years or more and see them leave and go to work for a rival firm .at a cost of many thousand pounds, then when short of staff pay those who are left time and two thirds to cover the work .i may not be a genius but does this seem rite?who knows the ones who are left on part time {and are treat like unskilled new boys}may be offerd full time again.

[trap2]

servisair have got the contract for the aegean flights, plus ounar air twice a week, also norwiegan airlines, and german wings.for those people out there that thought s/air were finished......tut tut you should have known better than that.:=. As for s/air moving over to sat2 all i can say is, nice try sat1.

[GRIZZLER]

maybe there is a cunning plan afoot at servisair stn.....loads more work and no men, as they have been laid off......hmmm!!!!...i wish i had thought of that.....GOOD CALL.
:D

any body want to come back????????please.

[wozzel]

grizler are you implying that this great idea was rushed through?surely only an idiot would get rid of skilled men then pay overtime to cover the work load.

[trap2]

looks to me that servisair accountants pushed the panic button a tad to early.

[offroader]

perhaps after there jolly to norway, they will offer you your job back full time . thats if you want fulltime ?

[GRIZZLER]

think you could be right about the accountants pushing the panic button, but when was the last time you see one of them at the coal face.....more to the point....have you ever seen one......they just don't know what happens on the ground ,all they see are £££££££££££££ signs.

lets hope they are as good looking after the pension fund.

[GRIZZLER]

have heard this rumour myself , but it is not due to downsizing.....part of it is down to TV reception....its better on sat2 as swissport keep leaving a320s in front of the aerial on sat1....and like you say thats where most of the work is anyway....so there will be no need for cars to get from stand to stand....they will be able to shout instructions from rest room door......so no radios needed....plus in the summer months it is a bit of a sun trap so there might be some sun tan lotion needed.....bbq will be under the walkway just in case it rains......deck chairs on order.

and the beer is going to be in new 100ml bottles.

[wozzel]

we all moan about a training officer only making tea now he can be barman aswell .2 100mls please smiler.

[TOWTEAMBASE]

Hey come on boys and girls, i thought we had got over this "personal attack "rubbish. :ugh:

[GRIZZLER]

anybody heard that maxjet are to make a comeback,as they have found a new backer.....they will use just 2 aircraft this time..

also have been told that this time they are having a new arrivals and departure lounge built at the diamond hanger at stn....so when it lands it can taxie straight there for fixing..

they will also do a no frills service..bring your own food and inflight entertainment....also bring a blow up bed as this can be used on board the aircraft or waiting for it to be fixed while in the hanger.

they have also come up with a new idea....its called air miles ..you only pay for the amount of miles you have travelled...so it will be very cheap.

another idea they have come up with is that there will be no pilot...the plane will be flown like a military drone from a computor in the usa.

a sixteen year old will fly you to you destination from the comfort of his bedroom .while he does his school homework......lets hope his mates dont come round.

they also need a new name ...any ideas?????

[Rear steps]

Sounds like an accident waiting to happen!! Where can i buy my tickets?

[diamond hanger]

Well done to Servisair for getting the contracts to a few more companies at last, i hope it pays well. Not sure if this is true but i did bump into some one from Servisair only 2 days ago and we were just chatting as usual about things and the one thing that cropped up was the Air Berlin contract,not mentioning who but they did say that Air Berlin were looking at changing a few flights or pulling out all together so please can someone clarify this.....thank you.

[GRIZZLER]

have not heard about airberlin leaving servisair stn .but have heard germanwings are joining .....and also that lot from norway are supposed to be next in line.....just hope they dont take the p:mad:s about us not getting many points in the eurovision song contest.......or i wont be best pleased.

maybe airberlin will fly into (london) southend airport next....and beat ryanair at there own game......the airport is looking for a new owner.

maybe servisair could move down there as ground handler...give them routeair boys a break..........and we could all have a day at the seaside......nice.
:ok:

[GRIZZLER]

cant help thinking those two words dont really go together...

jolly and norway. :confused:

unless you are into ski sunday.

[Red Four]

Routair have not been at Southend for a very long time, 'tis in house with Southend Handling now. As for Air Berlin B737's full of pax, the runway length is a no go-er for this without a (at times) large load penalty.
R4

[GRIZZLER]

if the runway at southend is not that long....how the hell did they get that vulcan there...or did it come down the A13.

heavy lift got their aircraft in there....shorts belfasts ect...and 707s so it cant be that short.....can it????

air berlin did fly some 146s...they should be ok, even the f100 might make it.........if not..... well i will go to the seaside someother day.

hi di hi.

[tgwu stn]

Wozzel
I heard today that the STL's going around asking Ramp staff to work overtime ,only two weeks ago people lost their jobs and were put on 30 hours contracts.:=
The staff made redundant should be offered their jobs back if this a ongoing problem with staffing levels.:ok:
I also heard the Ramp staff on 30 hours only did one flight then went home. :ugh:
A certain STL called out two Ramp staff paid them overtime and a call out and gave the Nightshift the early shoot!!!:D

Someone should be knocking on the Ramp Managers door and asking what is going on.
Anyone got any b:mad:ks at Servisair what about your workmates that were made redundant.

[D-ABAA]

TGWU, its not about no backbone at S/Air there seems to be a problem with the union reps in general. Well one at least who keeps trying to run the show and make the managers life easier, when he should be trying to make our life easier.

ALSO, whenever people have said anything to him he just says just be happy we still have a job.

What a joke, TGWU could you tell me how to stop my union membership as it goes straight from my wages?

D-ABAA

[trap2]

D-ABAA, if your union payments come out of your wages all you have to do is phone over to cargo and ask the wages dept to cancel your subs.I know this because i did it myself a couple of weeks ago as i feel the same way you do..

[wozzel]

how rite you are only 2 weeks ago 10 skilled workers{maybe a sickly bunch} were layed off ;now talk of taking more staff being taken on?how does that work ?do we get new contracts overnite ? i dont think so.this rushed plan was the most damning thing that could happen to servis air now we are left with a demoralized unskilled workforce .but who cares?aslong as the back office still get there tea {tea boy supplyied} all will run smooth.

[tgwu stn]

D-ABBA,trap 2.:=
Cancelling your Union membership will not improve anything the only winners will be management when you have no unity.
Shop Stewards need to have a mandate from its members if this is not case you can have a vote of no confidence,and elect a new Shop Steward someone who will represent the members.
You are the Union and you must all be united and stick together or you will have more of the same ie split shifts,flexible rostering (more cuts in pay 30 hour contracts) 6 on 3 off new shift pattern.

Servisair management have had all their own way got rid of the 5 and 3 shift which they have been trying to get rid of for years.:D
If all those left cannot find their B:mad:s i fear for the furture.

[wozzel]

management have allready got there own way ,were all on 4 and 2 .the trouble makers are gone only pupets left.the union we have now are no worse than the ones before ,at least these arnt two faced ,

[hunchback]

I Am Afraid We Have Lost Another Airline [norwegan].we Will Be Mooving Out Of Sat 1 On The First Of April And Will Be Relocating To A Shed In Enterprise House Carpark.i Would Like To Take This Opportunity To Thank The Ramp Staff For Working Verry Hard If Only Us Managers Worked As Hard As You We Would Not Be In This Sh T. On A Brighter Note Iam Off On Holiday Soon Spending My Christmas Bonus ,post Cards Will Be Sent To The Ramp. All The Best Hb:d

[sat1]

You never had 'em and never stood a chance,still the date is appropriate.I guess you boys were busy last night with all those diverts.All that extra revenue could buy a new set of taps for ya' kitchen

[wozzel]

hunchback dont waist your money on a big shed a 6x4 will be big enough now all your staff have either left for swissport or been layed off,i hope the sheds toilet doesnt leak urine all over thee floor like the one in sat 1.

[AN70]

how about this eos a startin two new routes to newark airport and dubai from may 5 plus serviceair recieved a thank you leter for the good done job from eos :ok: hahahaha roll on serviceair its a new begining

[wozzel]

great new eos routes .one problem no skilled men to turnem round.

[offroader]

does this mean you will do fulltime

[wozzel]

cant do fulltime at sa .just applied for a full time job in a fishing shop.fingers crossed.

[AN70]

good luck mate just one thing dont forget you will need a sofa bed thats where you spend most of you time....hahahhahahaha:}

[GRIZZLER]

thats a bit of a jump wozz...from airport worker to a fish finger shop....is that with fries.

[trap2]

hope he pulls his wait in the fish shop or he'll get battered

[GRIZZLER]

if wozzel does not pull his weight he might have to sling his hook...there might not be anybody to throw him a line next time.....do you want your plaice kept at the airport just in case.
;)
ps......what will your net pay be

[wozzel]

i dont want to CARP on about it but i think the workers were sold down the RIVER.hopefully ive HOOKED my self a new start maybe as a LINE manager.or i may stay and sleep alot.

[trap2]

looks like woz has cast , his eye's further afield', not sure if it's true but i'll swallow the bait and believe it hook line and sinker.

[GRIZZLER]

if you ask me i think it sounds a bit fishy...may be it could be a red herring.......and just think???? you will be working with a different sort of FLY.:eek:

[wozzel]

in jan servisair {stansted}told 15 hard working men that they were to be made redundant,or take a part time position,due to no work.13 took the money and ran the 2 left are left on part time ,whilst the management are offering mega overtime to the rest of the ramp staff to cover the work thats left.questions:1 is this legal ?if theres overtime going why cant partimers be made fulltime? and why are the union TGWU WHO TAKE 11.49 A MONTH OUT OF A MANS WAGES DOING NOTHING? 3 .isnt it cheaper to make part timers up to fulltime to cover the work than pay fulltimers overtime?

[diamond hanger]

Aaaahhh come on grizzler, you love him like a brother. We all know how you feel about him,talk about him and look after him,ha,ha,ha !!

[tgwu stn]

wozzel
These are questions you should be asking your Manager,ask him to explain why people are being asked to work overtime when you have been put on part-time.:=
If you get no joy see your Shop Steward and raise the issue.
If you get no help ring up the officer or go and see him at Enterprise House.

[GRIZZLER]

the men are the union wozzel...or not as the case maybe..if you blokes are not going to stick together and do something you might as well stick your union money where the sun dont shine......thats why i am £11.49 better off......it pays your car tax for a year.

not so long ago chelmsford post office changed workers meal breaks by about five mins...and they were outside the gates warming there hands on 45 gallon drums full of burning pallets.

servisair have changed every bodys life and livelyhoods with some blokes down the road.......and.....nothing .....i am not saying that you should go out of the gates....but at least get what you are paying for...stick together for once in your lives.

[offroader]

there are to meny people having to rely on overtime to live, To make life bearable they have to work to make end,s meet. which play,s into there hand,s:ugh:

[Dispatchbird]

Hasn't anyone got any truthful,interesting things to write on here at the moment?? :ugh:

[TUGNBAR]

I think you have all now made this thread redundant.

[sat1]

there are to meny people having to rely on overtime to live, To make life bearable they have to work to make end,s meet. which play,s into there hand,s:ugh:


Just an observation,but...............98% of people have to work to make ends meet-even you final few left at servisair!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wozzel]

thats rite we all have to work to make ends meet,try bringing up a young family on part time wages{all over time taken by the time we start}and then admin f*ck your wages up by 60 hours,nevermind i bet tescos takes IOUS.

[TUGNBAR]

Wozzel,
You are very bitter and twisted towards Servisair, which I can some what understand with the way in which they have handled things, but they ae looking at the bigger picture and it prob makes sense to the pen pushers, so deal with it.
So why dont you take a leaf out of their book and look after No1.
If it is as bad as you so often describe, why are you still working there?

[wozzel]

sounds like you wear a white shirt.like i mentioned before we all have to earn a living .but being singled out for special treatment ie:kept on part time whilst others are getting 60 or 70 hours overtime surely amounts to VICTIMIZATION,

[TUGNBAR]

Wozzell

Im not surprised in the slightest that you dont get any overtime with an attitude like yours. Who wants to work with people like that??

There are some of us that are just happy to have a job and come into the workplace and do whatever is required without the moaning and groaning and bringing the moral down even further......... some of us want to enjoy our time at work no matte how bad things are.

Take a good look at yourself pal.

[househunter]

That seems a bit harsh... I guess it is you who is looking out for yourself.


It does seem a bit harsh cutting your hours to part-time and hoping you do overtime. That seems to be the way Servisair work. Take on part-timers and put up the overtime.

[D-ABAA]

Wozzel sort yourself out firstly you say infront of people you do not want the full time hours back! Now on here only you are saying you do?? Pathetic!!!!!!!

[wozzel]

maybe for once im not thinking about my self .unlike your self i have the advantage of a trade to fall back on .when the next list apears and your on it you may feel diferent.will servisair be here in 12 months ?i think not ,lets hope the rock that you cralled from under is still there.

[D-ABAA]

Well Wozzell dont start saying stuff to look like the big clown in the restroom, then come on here and backtrack saying you want your hours back.

Go and work your trade if you really dont like working at S/Air:ugh:

[sat1]

Its good to see that life is good at servisair.Personally....................................I love my job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


Listen up people---The future is red,bit of blue,shiny silver bits and occasional grey bits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GRIZZLER]

i think what servisair had in mind when they said you can do 30 hours a week.......they did mean at the airport.....not 29 hours on here and 1 hour at work.............call me picky if you like.:confused:

[TUGNBAR]

15 K per year for doing shift work

Rearsteps
Did you not realise that when you accepted the job........ :mad:


will servisair be here in 12 months

Off course they will, you honestly think they are gonna give it all up....think about it hard Wozz.

[D-ABAA]

The 15 k he is talking about is at Swissport, not S/Air where 20 K is the norm:}

[sat1]

wozzel and redundancy
i think what servisair had in mind when they said you can do 30 hours a week.......they did mean at the airport.....not 29 hours on here and 1 hour at work.............call me picky if you like.:confused:

I think servisair have got the right idea,pay you 30 hours so that you HAVE to do overtime,and the first 9 hours at basic money.Pure genius!!!!

[call100]

Reading through this lot you guys deserve all you get.

[enone]

as an non aviation worker i was appalled to find the kind of money ground ops make,having done a ppl i thought yep lets go work in aviation,had interview and was told i would earn £5.91,i thought is servisair having a laugh? Becoming a flight dispatcher is no longer a reallity.you guys have my sympathies,time for a career change dont you think?

[sat1]

Latest rumour(fairly strong one) is that servisair at stn are attempting to bring in split shifts for its workforce.If true it would suggest that things are getting desperate for the dwindling workforce.What next????

[carbootking]

split shifts have to ask a guy in the pub

[sat1]

It seems it is now a done deal.Can't believe they have agreed to it.Apparently only one or two split to begin with,but the writing's on the wall.Looks like those made redundant who went 'up the road' are the lucky ones!!!!!!!!!

[GRIZZLER]

well if true...im glad to hear servisair are doing there bit to aid global warming....make the blokes drive twice as far to do a days work.....if they think i am going to drive 820 miles a week back and forth to work..think again.........and 820 miles is not a missprint.........and yes i know it is my choice that i live so far away from my work.....before any body mentions it.

[sat1]

Hey Grizzler you ought to talk to your shop stewards about it....ah but then its one of them who's organising the whole thing!!!!!!!!!!!!fact,I think,not rumour.Oh you happy band of brothers!!!!

[D-ABAA]

Happy Days!!

[hunchback]

i cant believe that all you think about is yourselfs and split shifts,think about us your management ,we have to come to work {not weekends} and face you whilst knowing we are incompetent fools .

[sat1]

Could it be that the reason behind the split shifts is to gain coverage for an existing Stansted Airport contract?