Posted on: 2 April 2026

Dear GMB member,

In aviation, change isn’t a distant concept, it’s the air we breathe. New technologies, shifting regulations, evolving passenger expectations, and the constant pressure to do more with less. For those of us on the front line, especially in ground operations, the pace can feel relentless, but there’s something else that moves just as fast: the way people feel about their work. Morale, trust, confidence, pride - these things can rise or fall in a heartbeat. In my experience, after more than three decades across the military, security, airport operations, and now the trade union, one truth has never changed: when people feel heard, respected, and supported, they perform at their best. When they don’t, everything suffers.

Aviation is often described in terms of aircraft, schedules, and performance metrics, but behind every on‑time departure is a team of people making hundreds of decisions under pressure. Dispatchers balancing safety, efficiency, and operational demands. Ramp teams working in all weather, often unseen. Check‑in and boarding staff absorbing the emotional load of passengers. These roles require skill, resilience, and teamwork, yet they’re rarely celebrated in the way they deserve.

That’s where strong representation and unity come in. Being a union convenor isn’t about conflict for me. It’s about connection. It’s about being the bridge between the workforce and the organisation, ensuring that fairness isn’t just a slogan but a lived reality. In my role, I’ve seen how quickly small issues can become big problems when people feel ignored. I’ve also seen how powerful it is when workers stand together, speak openly, and trust that their concerns will be taken seriously.

Unity isn’t about agreeing on everything. It’s about agreeing that everyone deserves respect, transparency, and a voice.

The Aviation sector is under pressure - operationally, financially, and culturally. We’re navigating staffing shortages, increased workloads, pay disparities, training gaps, rising expectations from passengers and regulators, and a workforce that’s tired of being treated as replaceable. These aren’t just industry challenges. They’re human challenges that require human solutions.

For me, a healthier Aviation culture starts with some simple principles:

• Listen before you decide
• Communicate honestly, even when the message is tough
• Invest in people, not just processes
• Recognise the work that keeps the airport moving
• Create space for feedback without fear

When leaders embrace these values, everything improves: safety, performance, retention, morale, and ultimately the passenger experience.

If there’s one message I want to share with everyone in our sector, it’s this: we are stronger together than we will ever be alone. Unity isn’t a slogan, it’s a strategy.

It’s how we protect each other, raise standards, and build a workplace where people feel proud to belong. Aviation will always evolve. The question is whether we evolve with it or get left behind, and the answer depends on how willing we are to stand together, speak up, and shape the future rather than simply react to it.

My commitment, as always, is to the people who make Aviation work. The ones who show up early, stay late, solve problems quietly, and keep the operation safe and moving.

• You deserve fairness.
• You deserve respect.
• You deserve a voice.

That’s what the GMB Union is about - standing together, fighting for what’s right, and never leaving anyone behind.

If you feel you can get involved with the trade union on the rollercoaster of Aviation’s turbulent ups and downs, we’d love to hear from you. Please speak to your reps on station or reach out to the GMB Region or Nation you’re a member of - your voice, your passion, and your experience could make a real difference.

In Solidarity,

Nathan Keightley

Swissport National Convenor.

Posted on: 31 March 2026

Dear GMB Union Member,

Workplace exposure to hazardous substances, particularly fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, and airborne particulates, remains a significant occupational health concern across UK industries. As part of our commitment to safeguarding health, safety, and welfare at work, this Workplace Exposure Register has been created in partnership with our law firm Unionline to ensure that workers have a clear, accessible means of recording and evidencing exposure to potentially harmful airborne contaminants.

This register is designed to complement, not replace, the legal duties placed upon employers. Employers are required to assess, control, monitor, and review employees’ exposure to hazardous substances. However, we recognise that workers themselves are often best placed to identify when exposures occur, especially where controls may be inadequate, inconsistent, or poorly implemented.

In February 2019 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reclassified all welding fume, including mild steel, as a Group 1 human carcinogen, with no safe level of exposure. This includes both the visible particulate fume as well as the invisible gases generated during welding operations. Welding fume exposure has been linked to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational asthma, metal fume fever, and long-term neurological, renal, and cardiovascular harm. For these reasons, welding fume is given specific emphasis in this register.

Workers across manufacturing, engineering, shipbuilding, construction, fabrication, and maintenance roles are routinely exposed to welding fume, often in challenging real-world environments where ventilation, extraction, and respiratory protection may be inadequate. Documenting these exposures is essential to ensure early intervention, enforce employer compliance, and protect workers’ long‑term health.

The purpose of this Workplace Exposure Register is to:

Provide workers with a formal mechanism to record instances of exposure to hazardous fumes, dusts, and airborne substances, including but not limited to welding fume, metalworking fluids, silica dust, wood dust, solvents, and combustion products.

Create a contemporaneous record that may assist in enforcing workplace safety improvements and ensuring employers meet their statutory duties under COSHH.

Support members in the event of future industrial disease claims handled through Unionline, by preserving evidence of exposure that may otherwise be lost over time.

Strengthen our ability to challenge unsafe work practices and advocate for better engineering controls, extraction systems, health surveillance, and training.

Who Should Use This Register

Anyone who may be exposed to hazardous airborne contaminants - whether regularly or occasionally - is encouraged to complete this register whenever exposure occurs or when controls fail. This includes welders, fabricators, apprentices, maintenance technicians, cleaners, machine operators, labourers, and any worker who may be unintentionally exposed through bystander contamination or poor segregation of workspaces.

Entries in this register will be securely held and may be used by GMB or Unionline to:

• Identify patterns of unsafe practice
• Support collective bargaining around health and safety
• Strengthen grievances and health & safety reports
• Assist with legal claims relating to industrial disease

By completing this register, members help ensure that exposure risks—especially those as serious as welding fume inhalation—are properly recognised, challenged, and prevented.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PD9HL6M

We urge all members to use this new Register as appropriate.

In solidarity,

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, Acting National Secretary

Matt Roberts, National Officer