Coronavirus: airport staff strike threat over protective gear
Union will direct airport workers to cease work, grounding every flight in the country, if requests for protective gear are ignored.
Airport workers may walk off the job, grounding hundreds of flights unless major airports across the country permit staff to wear protective equipment to insulate them from coronavirus.
On Friday, the United Workers Union released a statement which said contractors servicing Australia’s major airports have dismissed requests from airport staff, including those at security checkpoints, from wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) because it may make customers feel “uncomfortable”.
“If the health and safety needs of these workers are not met, United Workers Union will direct members to cease work even if it means grounding every flight in the country,” said UWU spokesman Damien Davie.
“We will not stand by while our members are exposed to this hideous virus due to penny pinching by airport security operators.”
On Thursday, a person infected with the life-threatening coronavirus disease travelled from Melbourne airport to the Gold Coast airport.
“At both of those airports, there has been a struggle for workers to get face masks, latex gloves and hand sanitiser,” said Mr Davie.
The union also claims that at the outset of the coronavirus epidemic, a worker at a major airport was threatened with disciplinary action for attempting to wear a face mask they brought from home.
“If any worker is disciplined at any stage for trying to protect themselves from the coronavirus, the United Workers Union will advise their members to stop work immediately,” warned Mr Davie.
Sydney airport told The Australian that their contractors are closely following advice from health authorities and have made personal protective equipment including face masks and gloves “available to any employee who wishes to use them”.
But Mr Davie says that was never communicated to employees.
“It may now well be the fact, but it was not communicated to employees in the form of a notice,” Mr Davie told The Australian.
“The feedback we got back from our members when they raised the issue was there was no PPE available from Sydney airport when they asked for it.”
The Australian understands that both Brisbane and Melbourne airports have begun providing PPE to employees.
As of Friday night nine cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Australia and more than 200 people have been tested.
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