Aurigny whistleblower report complete – but kept secret

But the airline said it would not publish the findings and outcomes of its weeks-long internal investigation into the accusations, which were made by someone believed to be an employee, following an online staff meeting held at the start of September.

The whistleblower’s claims, revealed by the Guernsey Press, included that one member of staff had referred to passengers using wheelchairs as ‘the lame and lazy’ and that another had said ‘leave them and let them burn’ during a discussion about what to do with disabled passengers in the event of a fire.

Neither were believed to be in customer-facing roles.

Aurigny chairman Kevin George announced yesterday that ‘a thorough investigation’ had been completed by an experienced but unnamed HR professional. Its findings had been agreed by an independent non-executive director and the airline’s board of directors, before being shared with its shareholder, the States’ Trading Supervisory Board.

‘Having regard to Aurigny’s legal duties to the employees involved in the matter, neither the report nor the outcomes will be made public,’ he said.

‘However, the business considers that there are lessons to be learned and taken on board as a result of the process.’

His statement did not directly address the comments allegedly made by staff.

However, he said ‘action has been taken, where appropriate’ and set out a number of operational areas in which Aurigny will make changes following the investigation.

They included a review of learning and development opportunities, updating its staff handbook, the possible introduction of an intranet platform for internal policies, and improvements on how confidential and sensitive information is handled.

‘Many of these initiatives had already been planned or started before this issue arose, but these action points will now be accelerated over the coming months,’ said Mr George.

‘Alongside our internal HR team, we will be involving external experts where appropriate, and I expect these improvements to be well received by the business internally.’

Mr George said the airline was determined to support ‘loyal and committed employees and provide a collegiate and inclusive workplace’ and he thanked them for their ‘hard work, dedication and support’ during what he again admitted had been a difficult period for the company.

‘It has been a difficult few months for the business and especially for our loyal employees and customers,’ he said.

‘It is very important to us that we support our employees’ health and wellbeing at work, which includes a working environment that is a positive, respectful and happy place for all.’

BLOB The airline is making a £300,000 investment in new aisle chairs for its ATR aircraft, which are recommended for passengers with reduced mobility. The chairs are used to transport immobile passengers from their own wheelchair to a seat on the plane. It is also investing in new ramps. The airline said it assisted about 500 people with reduced mobility each month.