Glasgow Airport staff 'anxious' about change to car parking location
The GMB union says staff will have to wait for a shuttle bus, often in the early hours of the morning
Last updated 22nd Feb 2024
There are warnings that plans to make Glasgow Airport staff park further away from the terminal could cause a "health and safety risk".
From March, allocated spaces for workers will move to the long-stay car parking facility, meaning they will have to catch the shuttle bus or face a 10 to 15-minute walk before starting their shift.
GMB members have voiced their concerns to the union, saying it is a source of anxiety for young female members of staff who are worried about waiting for the bus alone in often antisocial hours.
Calling for consultation
Robert Deavy from the union is asking airport bosses to halt the implementation of the change to further consult with staff.
He said: "GMB Scotland was made aware of this a few weeks ago that the airport had already decided to move our members from their current parking arrangements close to the airport, to a new off site one.
"They're expecting a boom in the number of passengers this year, and this is for passengers to use the current staff parking arrangements.
"There has been no consultation or health and safety discussion with GMB.
"The majority of our members who are front of house at Swissport are mostly young and female.
"Many of them start at 2 and 3 a.m. and it is causing a lot of fear and anxiety among members who are worried about waiting in isolation and the dark for a shuttle bus."
Airport response
A spokesperson for Glasgow Airport said: “Our airport partners were made aware in December that staff parking would move to the long-stay facility based within our campus grounds. The change will be implemented on Monday 4 March.
“The Long-Stay Car Park facility, which includes 24/7 CCTV monitoring and is used by tens of thousands of passengers each year, has been utilised as a staff facility on previous occasions.
“We anticipate welcoming an additional one million passengers this year and continue to see staffing levels increase across the airport, which is welcome news. The decision to move the staff car park to this secure facility has been made to help support this increase in demand.
“Our management team is responding to feedback from our campus partners regarding the staff facility and will address any concerns raised. We will also monitor the performance of the car park when it becomes operational next month and implement necessary changes or adaptations to the service if required."