Dozens of staff at baggage handling firm have not been paid for weeks

Dozens of staff at a baggage handling firm based at Manchester Airport say their wages have not been paid for three weeks.

The Unite, Britain and Ireland’s biggest union, has contacted Premiere Handling, to try and establish if the firm has ceased trading.

Premiere was set up in 2008 and employs around 70 staff. Calls to the firm are currently going unanswered.

The union understands that the company has ceased operations but workers have not been informed that they have been made redundant.

Unite Regional Coordinating Officer Lawrence Chapple-Gill said: “The situation at Premiere Handling is deeply unsettling and totally unacceptable.

“We are currently contacting Unite members who worked for Premiere Handling to find out what monies are owed – we will not hesitate to explore legal action. We have been told by some workers that the company has been discouraging workers from joining the union and now we know why.

“We are also calling on all former Premiere Handling employees to get in touch as we are looking at potential legal claims. Those not in the union will be invited to join us so that we can consider maximum legal action.”
Staff at the firm say they were due to be paid on Friday, June 28, but are still waiting for their money.

The firm handles baggage for scheduled and private flights from Manchester.

It held contracts with airlines including Loganair, Aurigny and Titan Airways.

One member of staff, told the Manchester Evening News: “Everyone is under a lot of stress. There’s a lot of worry.

“People have bills and mortgages to pay. We don’t know what to do.

“It’s not fair. There are lots of loyal people here. We didn’t get paid, but people still came into work and got the flights out.

“We’re still contracted to Premiere, but we’ve all been left in the lurch.”

“We haven’t been made redundant, we don’t even know if we’ve lost our jobs. No one knows what’s going on.”

An email has been sent to staff saying loss of contracts had led to serious issues for the firm.