Airport v Firemen "Inquiry could cause strike"

I have heard that flybe cancelled all their flights today because there was not enough firemen on duty at the airport......

Anyone else heard about this ??

Yes - their type of aircraft need a certain amount of firemen in an emergency!!!! everyone else is still flying !!!!

ah so its true....wow....i bet there are a few disgruntled ppl at the airport ..feel sorry for those with connecting flights...but i guess safety is important.... .

Where are the firemen then??

in my bedroom JOKE...lol

hmm Dell i was wondering that too???

I believe, that it is due to a shortage of firemen ,and that they regularly have to work on their days off to be able to give the neccesary amount of firemen needed to allow the airport to operate. I think that , as flybe operate larger planes, therefore, more firecrew are needed for these planes to operate, maybe, the offduty crew all had plans for today, sickness?, or perhaps they are just fed up working on their days off because the turnover of staff is so high and the management are having problems recruiting staff !

I understand that there is just the bare minimum amount of firefighters per shift , which means that if one goes off sick the leading firefighter has to phone around to organize cover from another shift this usually works , it happens quite often but one of the other shift covers within a hour so no one gets to hear about it But in this case they obviously could not get cover for whatever reason so planes like fly-be use are bigger than the rest with more passengers so i think i am correct in saying that the minimum cover is 8 firefighters (not sure on the numbers) to service our airport .

It is all to do with the CAA who lay down guidelines on safety. I think our airfield is rated as category 5 so if the full crew are not on station it goes down to category 4 and so on .

ploughman wrote:......... because the turnover of staff is so high and the management are having problems recruiting staff !

well, we've heard that before with nurses, police and teachers, haven't we!!

A shortage of fire cover at Guernsey Airport has led to the cancellation of all Flybe flights into and out of the island today (Sunday).

The level of cover has been dropped from Category Six to Category Five which means that small aircraft can still operate. Aurigny flights are unaffected.

The down-grading of fire cover is until 21:00 - the time the airport closes. Normal cover is expected to resume tomorrow.

Sickness among fire crew is the cause of reduced cover. A nine-man crew is needed for category six cover, but there are only eight on duty at present.

Firefighters at the airport have been in talks with the States over an on-call agreement for more than two years. A temporary agreement expired yesterday. (from CTV)

Not far out with my figures it was a year ago , i have slept since then LOL... :)

Seems crazy that this sort of thing can happen you would think there must be someone (retired or ex firemen) available.

YET more flights could be cancelled as a two-year dispute about firefighters’ on-call pay rumbles on.

Airport fire crews’ representatives again met the Public Sector Remuneration Committee yesterday but failed to resolve the issue.

On Sunday, 800 passengers’ travel plans were disrupted when Flybe flights were cancelled.

Following the end of a six-month agreement between the PSRC and firefighters, the minimum number of crew needed to cover the use of the airline’s Dash 8 aircraft could not be found.

The firefighters had been paid overtime until the agreement expired on Saturday night.

Unite regional industrial organiser Ron Le Cras said there was no obligation to cover staff shortages. At present there are 27 of the 30 firefighters needed to cover three shifts.

GD wrote:Airport fire crews’ representatives again met the Public Sector Remuneration Committee yesterday but failed to resolve the issue.

Hmmmm.... why is it that the PSRC appear to be mandated to fail to resolve any dispute with all of the different groups that they engage with? When did you last hear that PSRC met with a group who had a dispute and they offered a reasonable and acceptable outcome? I can't remember a single occasion BUT please,,,,,,, prove me wrong!!

No as far as i know you are correct , unfortunately. :roll:

Blimey...... I DO hope that I am proved wrong!

If not...... what hope any group who has to engage (or at least try too!!) with PSRC?

So, any truth in the rumour that a fireman will be ill at half term......?

Seems a like the firemen delibratley made it so that no one was available, I am sure that someone could have covered even if for half the shift to let Flybe get some flights in and out, to me it smacks of an enginered problem to proove a point.

If we had extended the runway and all the aircraft were bigger we would have a real problem.

Seems that it was a close call this morning, only a last minute turn up by a fireman saved another day of embarrassment for the States

Flybe are bringing special aircraft to avoid being caught out again,

Thing is what happens if two staff go off sick, leaving the airport with no cover...

To be honest it seems that the fireman have got the states over a barrel...

FROM TODAY

Flybe has 50% Off deals to a different place each day fo the next 10 days, the first one is Paris so no good for us in Guernsey, wonder if Jersey or Guernsey will get a Day.

Does anyone on here support the airport firemen and the ongoing problems at the airport?

I cannot believe that the firemen are sick again today. Never mind having the states over a barrel, they are using the Guernsey public as a blackmail tool.

25% pay rise? They're having a bloody laugh. They've got to have the easiest job in Guernsey. They join the job knowing the pay structure. At the moment, most people in the private sector are having salaries held and bonuses withdrawn. They have seen how weak willed the PSRC is in giving States general workers an above inflation rise and have decided to have a crack themselves.
If anyone in public sector deserves 25% it's the nurses. You don't see them going on strike, they do not hold the Island to ransom and yet they work far harder than those firemen who answer how many shouts a year???? Remember rolling the fireengine - I can't recall anyone getting the sack for that.........

strange how two firemen have gone off sick today making it impossible for flybe to fly the planes they chartered to be able to keep passengers moving .

Hmmmmmm over a barrel comes to mind - so good for Guernsey Tourism......NOT!!!!! and as a business centre of repute!!!!!

THE airport firefighters’ union has denied blocking attempts to bring in temporary cover.
Travellers face a second weekend of disruption because of the firefighters’ inability to provide minimum cover for the largest aircraft.
The Public Services Department said it had tried to draft cover in, but Unite had not cooperated.
‘They [PSD and the Public Sector Remuneration Committee] have had six months to sort this out with local airport firefighters and they waited until the last weekend to start worrying about overtime cover,’ said Unite regional industrial organiser Ron Le Cras.
A six-month agreement to provide minimum cover, for which firefighters were paid £1,000 each, ran out last Saturday and flights had to be cancelled the following day when the firefighters’ shift was not at full strength.
‘As far as we’re concerned there is no requirement for the airport fire service to guarantee overtime cover and that is what hasn’t been addressed in the past six months,’ said Mr Le Cras.(from thisisguernsey)

A lack of firefighter cover at Guernsey Airport is affecting flights to and from the island.
Category five planes will not be able to use the airport from 1200 GMT until 1200 GMT on Sunday.
Such aircraft include those used by Aurigny to fly the UK and planes chartered by Flybe for the weekend.
Airport director Colin Le Ray said it had come about as a result
of the absence of two firefighters from the usual staff numbers.
Island shuttles
An agreement for firefighters to cover each other's shifts finished at the end of January.
Since then, any absence has meant the possibility that some aircraft cannot operate.
Public Services Minister Bernard Flouquet said firefighters at
the town station had been unable to transfer to the airport because
they did not have the required training.
Passengers are asked to contact their airlines for further advice.
The managing director of Aurigny, Malcolm Hart, said alternative
arrangements were in place to get Aurigny's passengers to the UK.
He said some passengers were being flown to Jersey in aircraft not affected by the situation.
He said: "We'll try and shuttle as many people as possible across for Gatwick operations.
"Anybody who is booked on our flights this afternoon, if they
can come up to the airport as soon as they can, then they've got the
best chance of getting out today."




When are they going to sort this mess out ?