Syd Airport job security crisis

Date: 22 December 2004

Sydney airport could be facing a major security crisis over the Christmas-New Year period, because a pyramid sub-contracting arrangement for airport security guards is about to unravel - the airport security union warned today.

" Nearly one-in-five airport security workers are about to lose their jobs because a security pyramid sub-contractor, providing security guards to Sydney Airports' main security contractor, SNP Security, has now gone into liquidation," NSW LHMU Airport Security Union Assistant Secretary, Mark Boyd said today.

" Qualified airport security personnel will be extremely hard to find at this time of year.

" Our union has campaigned for a long time against the security arrangements entered into by the major Sydney Airport security contractor SNP.

" We've been concerned for some time about the pyramid contracting of these important airport security jobs to an outfit who have been labeled in the media as ' Franks Boys' ( The Australian September 24, 2004: Little-known firm that supplies guards for airport baggage checks)

" Unfortunately many of the airport security guards working at Sydney Airport, though dressed in SNP uniforms, were actually employed, in a pyramid arrangement, by All Events Security under the direction of its Jordanian-born owner Moffid Farid Sada.

" It is these guards who were known in the industry as `Frank's Boys'.

" All Events Security has now gone into liquidation. Very few of All Events guards have the same protection and working conditions as our members," Mark Boyd said.

" Often they are paid well below the decent wages guaranteed to our Award rates membership - which leads to the potential for the corrupting of our important airport security standards," Mark Boyd said.

" Our union members have raised the issue of this company's credentials and our problems with pyramid sub-contracting with SNP, the security contractor, with SACL, the airport authority and with Qantas but all of them have taken a hands-off attitude.

The LHMU Airport Security Union has suggested the potential crisis can be resolved if SNP Security directly employs any of the guards who are properly qualified, but are now about to lose their jobs because of their company's liquidation.

" The authorities at Sydney Airport should re-assure the traveling public about the quality of airport security guards employed at our major international gateway.

" Both SACL and the major airlines should insist that all airport security guards are employed directly by the firm contracted to deliver the job - so that their backgrounds and qualifications can be fully attested if queried.

" Our airport security should not be undermined by the fixation to make more profits through pyramiding the job," Mark Boyd said.

The LHMU proudly represents around 130,000 hard working women and men throughout Australia

More info:

Mark Boyd, NSW LHMU Airport Security Union, 8204 7245 or 0425 214 755

For further information

Contact:	Andrew Casey
Union:	Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union
Phone:	8204 7206
Fax:	92821 4480
Email:	andrewc@lhmu.org.au
WWW:	http://www.lhmu.org.au/

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