Passengers regularly abusing Gatwick Airport staff - union warns
Unite says 74% face verbal abuse at least once a month - while 42% have been physical assaulted
Staff working out of Gatwick are facing regular abuse from passengers, fresh data has revealed.
A survey of workers - includng ground staff and cabin crew - saw 74% admit they face verbal abuse at least monthly, with 42% experiencing physical assault - according to Unite the Union.
It's as it launches a campaign for better protections for workers - by banning abusive passengers from airports.
One female cabin crew member shared she had been 'shouted at and pushed':
"I have had a pushchair rammed into my shins. I have been pointed at aggressively in my face. I have been squared up and backed into a small space while being indirectly shouted at.
“I have had passengers trip me up and hit me with a child's toy just for their own amusement. I have been touched without my permission, I have experienced a man pushing his body into the back of me to pin me to the trolley.
"I have witnessed colleagues being verbally abused, shouted at aggressively and deliberately tripped up for amusement.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham says dealing with this behaviour is "not part of the job":
“It is a workplace safety issue that affects workers on the ground and in the air and can ultimately put other passengers at risk," she warned.
"All too often these workers are being left in harmful positions while doing very difficult jobs.
“Airports and airlines now need to up their game on this. They must make the safety of workers their top priority and work with Unite to stamp out workplace abuse once and for all.
"No worker should ever be put in dangerous situations for simply doing their job.”
The Union also called for a worker-led approach to combatting abusive behaviour, alongside minimum standards to protect workers - adding that "focus is too often on incidents on board the aircraft itself." A London Gatwick spokesperson said: "The safety and security of London Gatwick staff and passengers is always our top priority.
"No staff member should face verbal or physical abuse.
"Our support includes dedicated phone lines and app channels for staff to report incidents and get emergency assistance, alongside proactive support of the cross-industry 'One Too Many' campaign, and we work closely with partners including airlines, third-party service providers and the police to ensure everyone's protection."
A Department for Transport spokesperson added:
"Any abuse of staff or passengers, whether on a flight or in the airport, is completely unacceptable.
"That’s why we are working with industry and trade unions to create a system for sharing information on persistently disruptive passengers, making disruptors easier to spot, keeping staff and passengers safer from the get-go."