Baggage handlers face redundancy

November 30, 2007

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MORE than 180 baggage handlers face being made redundant in a pre-Christmas jobs shock at Manchester Airport.

Bosses say they need to make cuts at Ringway Handling Services because it is making a loss in a `fiercely competitive' market.

But union leaders have slammed the `appalling management' of the firm and say the proposal to cut 188 posts is `a disgrace'.

They say the 139 workers set to remain with the company under the proposals would have to take up inferior contracts, seeing them lose between £50 and £80 a week in wages.

Steve Grieves, of the union Unite, said: "Our members are committed to Manchester Airport. We intend to fight to reduce the redundancies to a bare minimum, and to protect the terms and conditions of our already lowly-paid members."

Ringway Handling Services is an independent subsidiary of the Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and serves a number of airlines and handling agents. It is one of several baggage handling firms operating in the terminals, but is having difficulty competing against big global operators.

No alternative

The group says several key contracts have been lost and it has `no alternative' but to reduce the size of the business.

A 90-day consultation is now underway with workers and union leaders.

Mr Grieves said: "You have to ask why Ringway Handling is not making a profit. It's always had enough business. The workforce is always fully employed and they win awards for the service they provide.

"But Ringway Handling has had 10 managers in nine years and, every time there is a problem with the business, they decide to restructure or cut the wages of the employees." An aiport spokesman said: "The baggage handling market is fiercely competitive with many airlines having multi-site deals across the world with global handling agents making it difficult for smaller companies like Ringway's baggage handling business to compete.

"For this reason, the Ringway Handling has been making a loss for some time. Although we have been working hard to secure its long term future, several significant contracts have been lost. We are therefore left with no alternative but to reduce the size of the business."

What do you think? Have your say.

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Harvey (30/11/2007 at 09:54)

I have travelled through the follwoing airports this year - Manchester, Gatwick, Heathrow, Aberdeen, Norwich, Southampton, Schipol, Bremen, Frankfurt, Miami Chicago, Cozumel, Sydney, Brisbane, Ayers Rock, Cairns, Hong Kong, Bergamo, Changi, Lhasa, Kathmandu, Pokhara, JFK, LAX, Bangkok, Christchurch, Queenstown and Atlanta.

Without doubt the worst airport for getting off a plane and collecting baggae is Manchester. Invariably there are no steps, nobody to operate the walkway to the plane, baggage can take upto one hour to appear on the carousel etc. Occasionally it has been fairly quick, but usually I wait 50 minutes. Every other airport I have been to this year has been quick. Maybe I am lucky elsewhere and just plain unlucky at Manchester.

The Bobelesque (30/11/2007 at 10:15)

Harvey: I agree. I have done Antalya, Heathrow, Gatwick, Bangkok, Sydney, Christchurch, Cairns, Darwin and Singapore. Guess which won the prize for the longest wait for the baggage. Correct - Manchester. Heavy unionisation is the problem.

come-on-city (30/11/2007 at 10:27)

Its almost funny that the shareholders, directors and managers never seem to offer to cut their wages.

I hate greedy businesses.

I hate Mancheser Airport. I always take a train to London when I take a flight.

Mike (30/11/2007 at 10:57)

They did the same a few years ago with the Security Section, and look how thats turned out! Now the its happening to the baggage handlers...greedy airport bosses noses always in the trough.

Guten Tag (30/11/2007 at 11:33)

Agree with the first two coments. Been all over Europe, but dread coming back to Manchester for the long wait for baggage.

Manchester Airport must make millions a year, but it always seems to be the 'behind the scenes' buisnesses (cleaning, security and now baggage)that fair worse with cutbacks, low pay and redundancy. Why?

Ernie Collins, Stockport (30/11/2007 at 12:04)

All ive seen for the past 20 years is cut,cut,cut. Every time there is a re-structure the savings come from the shop-floor. A recent restrure within the airport group had enhanced payments to go. A lot of managers and senior managers had decent payoffs to go. The staff from ringway are to be offered Basic Goverment rate payoffs. The fat cats cant even offer what they offered security a few years back. Reason for this is they need the money to build shops for the passengers. The hard cold facts are in real terms Baggage handlers are on the same wage now as they where 15 Years ago.

Mark,Radcliffe. (30/11/2007 at 12:08)

Senior Management if the likelihood is there are going to be even more delays with baggage.Get rid of the 1 bag rule through Security now...instead of Jan 7th 2008..That way less bags checked in,and more focus on decreasing baggage delays on arrival.

cheshire1 (30/11/2007 at 12:39)

Employees at Manchester Airports handling company RHL have been give 90 days notice. If the restructure is successful there will be a reduction in posts totalling 188 from 327 employees.

These 188 employees will either be redeployed within the airport group or made redundant.

For the remaining employees their T & C's will be even worse then they are now.

They will be required to work a 41 hr week plus 4 hrs contractural overtime paid at flat rate = a 45hr week before overtime payments.
No extra payments for working a bank holiday.
No sick pay for the first 3 days of sickness.
Sick pay for industrial injury 3 months full and 3 months half after 1 years service.
If you leave the company within 6 months of joining will have the cost of their uniform and training deducted at £400.00

Looks like the fat cats are screwing the workers again!!

Extracts from the MAG Goals and Values

To be a good employer-ensuring that each individual understands what is expected and is treated with respect !!!!!

Cost: Spending money on things that really matter

(obviously their employees don't come under this catorgary)

cheshire1 (30/11/2007 at 12:53)

The Bobelesque

Obviously you know nothing about the baggaging handling situation at Manchester Airport.
The reason why you don't get your bags in sufficient time is mainly due to the baggage handling companies (over 4 companies involved)retention of staff due to low pay and inferior T & C's and minimum staff levels to cut down on costs.

I used to worked for Security but left after the savage pay cuts. If you have 2 arms 2 legs and can just about speak english then there is a job for you on security at Manchester Airport. The wages there now are some of the lowest in the country way behind Birmingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen etc. Their staff turnover is very high too due to low pay, low morale and bad T&C's.

But guess what you will never see low morale or low wages in the boardroom !!! They are still on the gravy train !!!

Simon B, www.manchestertolltax.com (30/11/2007 at 13:11)

Single rate for working Bank Holidays!!!

I get triple time for working bank holidays.

remind my never to accept a job there.

TD, Bolton (30/11/2007 at 17:45)

Dont have a problem with job losses here. If they did the job properly and carefully they may have got my support. UK airport bag handlers are a low grade job and they should remember thier place. The paying customer demands good service. Uk bad handlers complain of heavy luggage and health and safety issues. YOU ARE PORTERS GET ON WITH IT.

disgusted member of staff, manchester (30/11/2007 at 20:26)

as a long serving member of staff i am totally amazed at the contempt in which the management hold the workforce. i accept the company will be in the red to the tune of 2 million by 2008 but it is through no fault of the dedicated staff. i hope that management can sleep at night knowing how difficult it will be for the employees to manage financially on the new terms whilst they sit comfortablly on their salary packages hope they have very merry christmas!!

panos, lancashire (30/11/2007 at 20:59)

i used to work at manchester airport,for ringway handling.,mind you it was 12 years ago,the workforce was well motivated and well paid,we all worked hard and cared for the bags,.then they reduced our wages,people left,the management never reducerd there wages. pay peanuts you get monkeys.it should be manchester airport management fat cats who get the sack,.there not worth half of what they are paid..

panos, lancashire (30/11/2007 at 21:17)

i hate manchester airport.i received my bags quicker at most other airports,all they think about is getting revenue,off the passegers via the shops,if they want to cut costs,first look at the fat cat managers pure greed,the workers work hard

Macca (01/12/2007 at 02:46)

Pay peanuts, u get monkeys.
what kind of service do you expect if the workforce are treated in such a way ?

Corporal Jones (01/12/2007 at 19:45)

'Heavy Unionisation is the problem'. Perhaps on your planet in 1979, Bobelesque, but not at Manchester Airport in 2007; where the very weakness of the trades unions over many years has facilitated the kind of appalling management practices alluded to in the article and in previous posts. The workers have no say whatsoever in how the operation is run, in how many staff are actually employed, or on what terms and conditions, and in how those staff are utilised; nor in how the operational areas of the airport are designed and run. Such decisions are made entirely by 'managers' in their ivory towers whilst the workers, those with blue collars at least, are left in absolutely no doubt as to what TD of Bolton calls 'their place'. However, even the most cowed and brow-beaten does not yet quite accept that it is 'their place' to be injured or worse as a result of unsafe working practices, as TD seems to suggest they should; a sentiment which some of those same 'managers' would no doubt applaud.

Believe it or not, TD, the vast majority of baggage handlers actually do want the job to run smoothly, want to offer a good and reliable service to the airlines and their passengers, but are prevented from doing the job as 'properly and carefully' as both you and they would wish by the very policies adopted by their employers, which conspire to thwart the best of intentions; even granted that the 'paying customer' who pays Mini money is a bit naive to expect a Rolls Royce in return. Staffing resources are so thinly spread that a minor issue, such as an off-schedule arrival, soon becomes a major problem because no staff can be found to handle it; resulting in those long waits for bags. The handlers themselves find this situation every bit as frustrating as you evidently do. Having fewer of them and making their terms and conditions even worse than they already are will do nothing whatsoever to improve matters; nor is it designed so to do, as even its architects would have to admit. It will probably make things even worse.

'YOU ARE PORTERS GET ON WITH IT' screams TD; who doesn't waste time on punctuation. Silly me. I thought we were people...

Swampy1810, Stockport (08/12/2007 at 17:48)

So travellers, Thomas Cook/MyTravel have decided to go for the cheap option now rather than the option which has given them 3 years award winning service. You can now look forward to long waits for you luggage on return from holiday following frustrating delays on departure. There may be one good thing, if Monarch make the right decision, they will be able to show a vast improvement to their service at Manchester Airport. One thing you can all be sure of, the Airport don't care one little bit, so long as you are trapped in their "Shopping Centre" spending your cash.

"So long and thanks for al the fish..."
Anon please

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