Strikes at Gatwick

[b0rn2sk8]

Just commute from Hull to Gatwick, EZ

In fairness to Hull, there are some areas which are pretty nice leafy suburbs and cost substantially more more than what you’d expect to find there based on its reputation. The outlying villages are that again.

 

[krooton]

In fairness to Hull, there are some areas which are pretty nice leafy suburbs and cost substantially more more than what you’d expect to find there based on its reputation. The outlying villages are that again.

Preaching to the choir, I live with a CR postcode (just)

 

[adam cool dude]

Just commute from Hull to Gatwick, EZ

They could fly the workforce in through Hull actually .

 

[Hades]

No, it’s not short term. Strikes are short term, they last days or weeks.

Prolonged recruitment and retention issues last for months or years. Just look at Heathrow and all the issues they had last year and early this year for exactly this point. Thousands of flights were cancelled every day for 6 months and then there was a smaller number of cancellations for another 6 months. It basically impacted a years worth of flights that had already been scheduled that couldn’t be delivered.

They are still not operational at full capacity because they don’t have the staff.

Airlines cut ground staff during the pandemic to save costs. That was a self induced shot in the foot while airlines were trying to survive.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Airlines cut ground staff during the pandemic to save costs. That was a self induced shot in the foot while airlines were trying to survive.

Yup but it also demonstrates why high staff turnover is a HUGE problem for any employer in that sector.

You can’t just recruit someone and have them hauling bags the next day. The vetting alone to allow them airside takes months. Then they also need a huge amount of training to remain safe airside.

They are thousands in the red just to get someone to their first day on the job. Particularly when you account for all those that drop out during the vetting process because they can’t wait 3 months to start work.

They need to start recruiting today for people that might leave in 6 months time. The costs of this are very high and very likely to more than just paying people a better wage to stay in the job.

 

[esmozz]

..... The vetting alone to allow them airside takes months. Then they also need a huge amount of training to remain safe airside...

I work in the aviation industry and I think this is just the excuse airlines and airports use to deflect criticism of the chaos that is the state of the industry.

The airside pass application simply requires a 5 year basic DBS which you can get in minutes and a 5 year employment history with any gaps being reasonably explained. It's just taken me a couple of weeks to get mine. Occasionally it may take months but in most cases much less.

Edit: Just to add - I'm pretty sure you can work airside without a pass, you just need to be supervised.

Altought I don't have to do the same courses as say, a baggage handler, I don't believe it takes more than a day to teach someone to operate safely airside. (The course I took for operating safely airside as part of my pass application was a 45 minute teams call).

The simple fact of the matter is the airports and airlines need to pay people more. They don't want to do so and simply try and deflect the blame elsewhere.

 

[krooton]

Yup but it also demonstrates why high staff turnover is a HUGE problem for any employer in that sector.

You can’t just recruit someone and have them hauling bags the next day. The vetting alone to allow them airside takes months. Then they also need a huge amount of training to remain safe airside.

They are thousands in the red just to get someone to their first day on the job. Particularly when you account for all those that drop out during the vetting process because they can’t wait 3 months to start work.

They need to start recruiting today for people that might leave in 6 months time. The costs of this are very high and very likely to more than just paying people a better wage to stay in the job.

I assume, like many other industries, the budget for hiring and training is separate from normal payroll, it's why you often hear about people leaving because they didn't get the payrise they wanted, then their replacement is hired at the salary the leaver wanted. Such a stupid practice.

 

[Hades]

Yup but it also demonstrates why high staff turnover is a HUGE problem for any employer in that sector.

You can’t just recruit someone and have them hauling bags the next day. The vetting alone to allow them airside takes months. Then they also need a huge amount of training to remain safe airside.

They are thousands in the red just to get someone to their first day on the job. Particularly when you account for all those that drop out during the vetting process because they can’t wait 3 months to start work.

They need to start recruiting today for people that might leave in 6 months time. The costs of this are very high and very likely to more than just paying people a better wage to stay in the job.

Hence why, if staff begin to leave, wages will increase.

 

[adam cool dude]

I assume, like many other industries, the budget for hiring and training is separate from normal payroll, it's why you often hear about people leaving because they didn't get the payrise they wanted, then their replacement is hired at the salary the leaver wanted. Such a stupid practice.

This happened twice at my old place. We ironically both went to do the same career too.

They had a new trainer in that was getting paid more than him. He got his class 2 in the army but did his CPC, ADR and went on his way doing fuel. They offered him the higher rate when he handed his notice in but not before.

I applied for a senior management roll but got kicked back because of politics (I was far more qualified but the other guy that applied for it has been waiting for years and I had only been there 1 year myself. The whole place was basically dead mans shoes for senior jobs). I handed in my notice the next week as I had just passed my Class 1 and they were trying everything to get me to stay. 4 grand pay rise you name it. I had been in the company over different sites for 15 years. Loyalty means absolutely jack in the corporate world now. Once I finally realised that it has been a revelation since as I go where the money is and think about myself and family first.

 

[JUMPURS]

Yes but with a better payrise and without affecting innocent customers.

I did say if everyone quit. It would have a much bigger impact to 'innocent customers'. If everyone quit today, how long do you think it would take to recruit enough staff and train them?

Something tells me a couple of days of strike is less impact.

 

[Charlie Bravo]

I too work in aviation and salaries can be pretty poor.
Passengers don't want to pay much for a ticket, airlines don't want to pay much for handling and greedy shareholders always want their cut no matter the state of the business (like easyJet during Covid).

The bulk of airport workers have to work shifts and some people simply can't handle it, whilst others can't handle working outside in all weathers or dealing with constant abuse from passengers who expect the earth.

Depending on job role, it can be hard going and there are numerous training courses to go through. For instance, even if you possess a driving license, it doesn't mean you can drive airside as you need to sit a course to teach you how to drive on an aerodrome. The course you sit and permit you obtain, may only allow you to drive in certain areas meaning further training and tests are required for a different permit. It's a different world.

 

[krooton]

This happened twice at my old place. We ironically both went to do the same career too.

They had a new trainer in that was getting paid more than him. He got his class 2 in the army but did his CPC, ADR and went on his way doing fuel. They offered him the higher rate when he handed his notice in but not before.

I applied for a senior management roll but got kicked back because of politics (I was far more qualified but the other guy that applied for it has been waiting for years and I had only been there 1 year myself. The whole place was basically dead mans shoes for senior jobs). I handed in my notice the next week as I had just passed my Class 1 and they were trying everything to get me to stay. 4 grand pay rise you name it. I had been in the company over different sites for 15 years. Loyalty means absolutely jack in the corporate world now. Once I finally realised that it has been a revelation since as I go where the money is and think about myself and family first.

I got taught quite the life lesson by my dad, he worked for a company literally his whole working life, from the age of 18.

Company got bought out a few years before his retirement (this was in South Africa), and they realised that if they made him redundant before he got to retirement age, they could save a few million rand on his pension.

40 years with the company, and they screw him over like that. Always look out for number 1.

 

[something daft already!!]

Well the strikes were cancelled as they accepted the offer. My partner is currently in Turkey having much nicer weather than here. Its pretty nasty out there tonight.