London City Airport Ground Staff Look to Set Strike Over Conditions

We are well aware that there have been issues with staff conditions and contracts at London City Airport over the past year. Disgruntled staff have been contacting us during the time and we know that they have also been in contact with Stephen Timms MP over the issue. They are very very angry at what they call 'appalling treatment' they have been at the receiving end of. It appears that the issue is now coming to a head, as reported by the GMB press release beneath. The problems just never end for LCY:

Ballot London City Airport

Friday 11th February 2011

GMB CEC ASKED FOR PERMISSION FOR STRIKE BALLOT FOR GROUND STAFF AT LONDON CITY AIRPORT IN DISPUTE OVER TREATMENT AND TERMS & CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

If GMB members vote in favour of strike action this will have an impact on all CityJet, Air France and KLM flights arriving and departing from LondonCityAirportin March

The GMB Central Executive Council (CEC) which meets on Tuesday 15th February 2011 will be asked to give permission for an official strike ballot for ground staff at London City Airport. The staff are employed by an agency Aviation Resources and provide checking-in and dispatch services for the airlines CityJet, Air France and KLM flights. The dispute is about pay, treatment and terms & conditions of employment.

CityJet has refused to sanction a pay rise given the level of inflation since 2008. The employer Aviation Resources, is wholly reliant on each airline for the pay and conditions of employment of the staff they supply. CityJet management is also accused of bullying tactics. A typical example is where CityJet told a new mother on her first day back to work following the birth of her baby boy that her ‘grooming needed attention’ as she had ‘put on weight’. The airline is insisting she remove her nose stud, which is integral to her religious beliefs. She is now off work having been sent home whilst the CityJet Manager who gave the orders remains at work.

In addition, CityJet has also demanded changes in terms and conditions of employment. CityJet has insisted that the part-time mothers loose their flexible rosters that they have had over past years and go on to general rosters. These will impact badly on their childcare arrangements and ability to work at the airport.

GMB members have already voted by 97% for industrial action in a consultative ballot of all the members working on the CityJet contract at London City Airport. GMB has offered to go to mediation at ACAS and is awaiting a response from the members’ employer Aviation Resources.

Stephanie Attwood, GMB Organiser said: “CityJet’s behaviour is from another era, running roughshod over people’s rights and dignity with no regard to race, religious or family commitments. It is only a matter of time before the balloon goes up.

The GMB CEC will be told that CityJet is the problem. CityJet itself has refused to negotiate with GMB and compounds this by refusing to allow Aviation Resources to have meaningful discussions with GMB. Unfortunately, the other airlines could get caught in the crossfire and I urge them to seek to influence CityJet to put things right as soon as possible.

If the GMB CEC gives permission for an official strike ballot and if GMB members vote in favour of strike action, this will have an impact on all CityJet, Air France and KLMflights arriving and departing from London City Airport in March.”

End

Contact: Stephanie Attwood, GMB Organiser on 07793 211525 of GMB Press Office: Rose Conroy on 07974 251823 or Steve Pryle on 07921 289880.



Noted to Editors: CityJet, Air France and KLM are all part of the same group.

City Jet Boss Wants Weekend Flight Restrictions Lifted at City Airport

As reported in the Wharf:

London City Airports biggest airline has called for an end to the restrictions on weekend flights.
Cityjets CE Geoffrey O Brien White said the rules were damaging to the economy of East London.

He said "We need to increase our flights to the airport , paticulary at weekends. I would like to see restrictions at weekends removed.

We've got to realise we're in the middle of a recession , companies are going out of business and there is a demand for flights here with places like The O2 and Excel around the corner.
Weekends would be a different market with people going to leisure events and things like soccer matches.Coming to London is a big attraction".

The weekend restrictions are in place under Section 106 rules attached to planning agreements with Newham Council. Currently the airport is closed to air traffic between 12.30pm on saturdays to 12.30 pm on sundays to allow residents relief from noise. Up to 100 flights are allowed on saturday morning and 200 on sunday afternoon.However the airport is not allowed exceed 280 over the whole weekend.

However , Mr O Brien White whose airline has 600 flights a week from london city , said improvements in aviation technology should see that changed.
He said " The aircraft there now are paticularly quiet. None of the other airports we use have rules like these.Even if its just a small number of flights at weekends , it would be a great improvement"

However a spokesman for London City played down the chances for it pushing for a relaxation of the limits. She Said "The restrictions are in place due to an agreement with Newham council.We have no plans to seek any changes"

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FTF Comment

We predicted over 2 years ago that huge areas of East London would find themselves increasingly suffering because of the increased use of jets and of more flights - many of which are Cityjet ( a subsidiary of Air France KLM Group) operated. The larger jets using the airport are considerably NOISIER than the propellor planes which had previously made up the majority of flights until the past few years. The jets that City Jet and other airline companies use from London City Airport are the operations from LCY which create the most noise pollution across East London.

FTF has also expressed concerns regarding the opening hours of City Airport changing - and it has been indicated by the airport not so long ago that if the demand was there to open at the weekends that they would consider this.

Residents will not welcome the comments by City Jet and we suspect that most East London Boroughs and politicians won't either. Geoffrey O'Brien White shows the characteristics which the GLA members referred to when referring to the attitude of BAA towards the residents in West London.

Perhaps Mr O'Brien White should consider it is because residents live just a few hundred yards from the airport, and the fact that it is in the most densely populated area in the UK is why no other airport has the same restrictions on flight times? His comments simply further confirm that big business simply does not care for East London communities health and well being and will drive their quest for profits at the cost of anything, or anybody.

It is also worth us pointing out that the hours of operation at the weekend were wrongly quoted in the newspaper.

Flights stop at 13:00 on saturdays and commence at 12:30 on Sunday a 23hr and 30 minute flight free time. It is worth noting that despite this 'break' that flights operate out of London City Airport 7 days a week.