Where: Grass island between Hale Drive and Hale Road, Liverpool, L24 0TQ
When: 13:00 hours, Tuesday 8 November 2022
Workers from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport will join a demonstration on Tuesday (8 November) held in honour of their colleague, Cinzia Ceravolo, who was killed crossing the city’s treacherous Hale Road in August this year.
Flowers will be laid in Cinzia’s memory by the workers, and members of Unite, who have been campaigning for urgent safety changes to be made at the highway. Unite’s members will be joined at the protest by GMB members from the airport.
The workers are angry that despite repeated tragedies, no action has been taken to make the junction safe.
Hundreds of local residents have joined Unite’s call to the Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, signing an open letter urging her to use the city’s stake in the airport to demand that a safe crossing point is created at Hale Road.
Unite is also calling for the pick-up and drop-off charges at the airport to be dropped. The costs take a hefty chunk out of workers’ wages, forcing them to find cheaper ways to and from work, inevitably using Hale Road.
Ahead of the demo, organiser and Unite rep at Ryanair, Laszlo Marothy, said: “Cinzia was just trying to get home from work when she lost her life. This was at a road that Liverpool council knows is unsafe. Several accidents happened there in the past years and two cyclists were killed in 2019. Residents have complained for years about unsafe drivers and illegal parking. Why are all these warnings falling on deaf ears?
“We don’t accept that we need to wait until the police investigation is completed for action. Placing signs on the road, warning drivers about pedestrians crossing, policing illegally parked cars or dropping pick up charges for airport workers can all be done now. All we’re asking for are simple steps that would make this road safer.
“With every passing day, more airport workers have to risk their own safety going to and from work. Unite cannot be patient or idle when our members are in danger. And we will not be told to be patient more than two months after Cinzia’s death.
“No more tragedies, no more delays. Hale Road must be made safe.”
Unite’s open letter to the mayor can be found here.
