The airport said without wage cuts jobs could be lost

The 120 staff have just received a letter from their employers at John Lennon Airport that a pay reduction may need to be introduced in order to safeguard jobs.

A possible threat to jobs from private contractors comes after a change in European law that enables airline firms to bring in their own baggage handlers.

Representatives of the GMB union were due to address the staff later on Sunday.

A spokesman for the airport confirmed that currently the in-house baggage-handling service is no longer competitive.

He said reducing staff salaries would strengthen its position in the market, but more importantly if the move is not implemented, jobs could be lost completely.