Airport Fire Workers at BAA’s 7 UK Airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Glasgow have voted for industrial action, which would obviously nescessitate the closure of those airports, during strikes, as Fire Protection could not be guaranteed.
story from BBC News online
Firefighters and security workers at seven UK airports have voted for strike action after a pay dispute with their employers BAA.
The 2,500 members of the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) held a ballot on Thursday.
They voted by 2-1 in favour of walkouts in protest at a pay offer of 1.7% plus £150.
BAA says the deal amounts to six per cent over two years and is fair given the present economic difficulties facing the aviation industry.
The union says the vote represents the “sheer frustration” with the employers, particularly in light of the heavier workload of security staff since 11 September.
The union warns walkouts by the security staff and specially-trained firefighters could close airports.
Tim Lyle, T&G’s national secretary for aviation said: “The vote in favour of strike action represents the sheer frustration at the company’s offer, given the increased workloads and responsibilities placed upon BAA employees following 11 September.
“Coupled with the knowledge that traffic figures have improved and the company is in profit, our members justifiably feel that the pay offer falls short of what they deserve.”
The workers involved are employed at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Union stewards will meet next Monday to plan the industrial action.
The action is not linked to the nationwide strikes planned by firefighters next week.
Airport firefighters are already paid more than regular firefighters.
By: EGNM - 13th November 2002 at 13:13
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-11-02 AT 01:15 PM (GMT)]as far as i know from when i was at Coney Park Heliport which was away from the airport – the local authority can request the assistence of the AFS if they feel it is nessecery and within a reasonable distance/would ot effect the airport operations
also the green goddesses were purchased as a backup to the local authority fire appliences incase of an attack during the cold war – the army has it’s own equiptment for bases etc – these were just a contingency plan
By: Ren Frew - 13th November 2002 at 12:15
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
Just a thought… Would airport firefighters ever be called in to back up the regular fire service in the event of say a major emergency or even a strike ? Would this be strictly unadmissable, either for reasons of safety, ethics or union solidarity ?
An another thing… If the green goddesses are so old, why hasn’t the army updated it’s fire fighting appliances since the last strike ?
By: EGNM - 13th November 2002 at 10:47
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
cat 7 is the max?? – what about the VC-10s and Tristars at Brize!! – or the USAF at mildenhall whic operate THE largest fire trucks in the world – i’m sure Heathrow would definatly not close!!
By: wysiwyg - 12th November 2002 at 23:15
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
Fire cover is defined into various categories. Each type for each operator will have it’s own category of cover required for that type to operate at that airfield. For example, out 757’s normally expect at least cat 7 for us to be able to operate but we are allowed by the CAA in exceptional circumstances to operate when cover reduces down to Cat 6. Below this we have to go elsewhere. In some airfields in Greece we have actually bought fire fighting equipment for the airfield operator to raise their category high enough to allow us to operate into there! The best RAF cover (as far as I have been told) is Cat 7 so you could operate a 757 but not anything much bigger.
By: T5 - 12th November 2002 at 17:47
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
Thank god, I’m back at last. Stupid NTL had some problems and I couldnt get onto most websites.
My mum was convinced this was going to interrupt our plans next week to go to New York but I told her they just couldn’t go on strike and give little more than a week’s notice!
I can’t see it happening – it would mean the closure of 7 airports including Heathrow, one of the busiest in the world with flights from every corner of the globe, taking people home and bringing people into the UK to spend Christmas. I reckon that at the last possible minute, action will be taken and the strike will be averted. Firemen put their life on the line for us and deserve a raise, but I do think they should be civil and not do what they’re doing. I do however believe that the 40% rise that they want is a little too much to expect.
By: EGNM - 12th November 2002 at 14:27
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
well fire cover could be arranged by the RAF airfield Appliences and domestic ones (for the terminal responsabilities as i know LHR and LGW have one) as there are just as good as the Civil ones! – security – hmmm tho!
By: dcfly - 12th November 2002 at 10:39
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 12-11-02 AT 10:45 AM (GMT)]Saab
That’s the point, to cause as much inconvenience as possible,however much the union denies it.
After all, I cant see the Green Godesses standing by, can you ?
so an early agreement would be beneficial to everyone involved
Dave :7
[Marquee] :7 Perfection is a state of mind :7 [Marquee]
By: mongu - 11th November 2002 at 18:45
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
The arguments are easily translatable from those used in the UK firefighter dispute.
Yes, they deserve most of what they want. But where does the money come from?
My one caveat is that security is a joke, so it is a bit shameful that “extra duties” is used as a pay negotiation point.
By: Saab 2000 - 11th November 2002 at 17:45
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
Dang…thats really going to mess up the Christmas rush.I have family going away for the holiday season flying GCI-LGW,that is really going to effect their plans.
By: Bhoy - 11th November 2002 at 17:27
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 11-11-02 AT 05:33 PM (GMT)]latest on this…
(from BBC News online)
———————————————
Firefighters and security staff at seven UK airports have announced plans for six one-day strikes, which would hit Christmas travellers hard.
The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) met on Monday and agreed to industrial action.
The walk-out by airport firefighters, security guards and other employees would affect Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.
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.
Last month TGWU members voted in favour of a walk-out in “sheer frustration” at the pay offer put forward by their employers, the British Airports Authority (BAA).
The planned airport strikes, while including firefighters, are unrelated to the series of general fire service strikes which are due to begin on Wednesday.
BAA said the deal amounted to 6.3% over two years and was reasonable given the present economic difficulties facing the aviation industry.
But the TGWU’s national secretary for aviation, Tim Lyle, said: “The strikes will be organised on the basis that each and every airport will strike simultaneously.
“The airports would not be able to operate on strike days because of the lack of fire cover.”
The two-year deal would see staff receiving 1.7% in the first year, with £150 extra backdated to last April and a further £150 added from next January, according to the TGWU.
The rest would be made up in the second year.
The union has not revealed how much it is seeking for members, but it says the ball is now firmly in BAA’s court to come up with a better offer.
Negotiated settlement
A TGWU spokesman said 1.7% was “hardly fair”.
“People accepted the second year of the offer is reasonably OK, but that’s not taking into account the pressures our members are under.
“Given the increasing profits BAA is making, plus heightened security checks, levels of stress and responsibility falling on our staff, we deserve more than that.”
The union said the series of strike dates had not been co-ordinated to disrupt Christmas and New Year holiday travel.
It insisted it had given BAA long-term warning to encourage management to return to the negotiating table.
“We want a negotiated settlement,” said the spokesman.
Meanwhile the air traffic controllers’ union Prospect is expected to ballot its members on industrial action in protest at bonuses paid to two executives.
So far the union is suggesting controllers only stop work for just 15 minutes, but even that would be enough to cause huge airport delays.
Its delegates voted this weekend to ballot around 2,000 air traffic controllers.
‘Totally inappropriate’
Prospect’s national officer, David Luxton, told BBC News Online his members had called the stoppage to register their frustration at bonuses of £215,000 and £62,000 paid to two directors of the National Air Traffic Services (Nats).
He said: “Rather than writing letters of protest, our members wanted a way individuals could register their feelings about the bonuses.
“A 15 minute stoppage will cause disproportionate disruption, but that is not the aim of the action.”
If the go-ahead was given for stoppages, the union would have to give its employers seven days’ notice of its intention to strike.
BBC Transport Reporter Tom Symonds said the strike would allow union members to cause disruption to a whole day’s flight schedules for the loss of just 15 minutes’ pay.
Carriers would be forced to hold back flights, or keep planes in the air for an extra 15 minutes during the stoppage.
Aircraft would not be allowed to take off, land, or enter UK airspace during the strike, and most schedules would be put out for about an hour for most of the day.
Fire/Security Staff Strike Dates
28 November
2 December
10 December
15 December
23 December
2 January
By: 777crazy - 7th November 2002 at 20:30
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
I disagree on this view because I ve worked at LHR T2 for 18 months and we never hear any problems about the viewing area. If someone was to aim a gun there all the peole would see it because the view gallery is packed most days. Besides airports have never really being bombing targets people prefer to do something whilst a plane is in flight.
By: A330Crazy - 7th November 2002 at 19:04
RE: BAA Fire staff to strike?
This I am against. Not the Fire, cos they do there job exceptionally! The security, at these airports is not really up to scratch at all.
I was discussing it today, with a friend of mine, after I heard it on the news, I think that the security needs to be stepped up a hell of a lot at these airports.
For one example, LHR viewing roof. How easy would it be for someone to come off of the Underground, out of terminal 2 and up onto the roof, carrying anything from a knife to a bomb of some sort?
The viewing gallery here over looks terminal two, how easy would it be to get a shot out of a gun at a pilot or to lunge a bomb down onto the apron? You may think that I am being a little paranoid, but think about how easy it is to do this — you dont have to meet any security guards on the way up to the roof, you dont have to go through any metal detection machines etc.
Its the same for all airports, its just too easy!
What do you all think?
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November 7, 2002 at 1:19 pm