LONDON- This morning (July 28, 2023), a fire alarm activation led to the evacuation of hundreds of passengers at London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW). Crowds gathered outside the airport’s north terminal, and a fire crew was observed ascending an escalator.
On Twitter, a traveler expressed frustration about the staff’s “lack of guidance” during the evacuation. The tweet read, “Evacuated at Gatwick due to a fire alarm! Not great for the staff here as there is no guidance. Poor operations!”
One person shared a photo of two firefighters, captioning it “Gatwick Airport evacuation, fire alert.” Meanwhile, another individual posted a video of people milling around outside, commenting, “Fire alarm at Gatwick, this is going to be fun.”
Gatwick Airport Fire Alarm Created Chaos
By 7:30 am, passengers were permitted to re-enter the airport. A Gatwick spokeswoman expressed apologies for any inconvenience caused, clarifying that the evacuation was of short duration.
Speaking to the Mirror, she stated, “London Gatwick’s North Terminal was evacuated for a short time this morning due to a fire alarm being activated. As always, safety and security are our number one priority. We apologize to passengers for any inconvenience.”
The evacuation occurred following the Unite Union’s cancellation of a planned strike among baggage handlers and ground staff at the airport.
Union Strike Called Off
ASC workers voted in favor of a double-digit pay rise, while Menzies workers favored a 13% increase for ground handling staff and a 17% increase for the lowest-paid staff, along with annual leave and sick pay improvements.
With the majority voting in favor of the deals, both disputes have now concluded, and all related strike actions have been called off, as announced by the union. Recently, Gatwick DHL workers also accepted a 15% pay deal, leading to the cessation of their strikes earlier this week.
According to Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, the outstanding outcomes were possible because unionized Menzies and ASC workers at Gatwick stood united. Unite is committed to its trade union principles of safeguarding and enhancing its members’ jobs, pay, and conditions.
Meanwhile, the union informed that workers at GGS have initiated a ballot on an improved pay offer, and further details will be communicated in due course.
Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell emphasized that the achieved results highlight the significance of workers joining Unite. Further encouraging their colleagues to do the same can lead to better wages and improved working conditions.
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