Workers Revolutionary Party - TGWU again refuses GG hardship payments

The News Line: News Thursday, 6 April 2006 TGWU again refuses GG hardship payments

Locked-out Gate Gourmet workers at Heathrow were joined by striking Gate Gourmet workers from Dusseldorf on their march through Hounslow on March 25

LOCKED out Gate Gourmet workers were yesterday angry that the TGWU leaders have once again refused to allow them any hardship pay.

This is despite the fact that they have been locked out since last August 10th 2005, and had their hardship pay stopped on January 6 2006, after the TGWU leaders signed a sell-out compromise agreement with the US owned company.

On March 21 two of the locked out workers visited the Regional Office of the London, South East and East Anglia region of the TGWU to ask for their hardship money.

They saw Harry Timpson the Finance Officer and asked him to recommence paying all of the locked out workers their hardship pay.

He refused and said that they would only get hardship pay if they gave up taking the company to an Industrial Tribunal and signed the Compromise Agreement.

Timpson gave the two workers a letter saying: ‘I informed you that as you were taking your case through an Industrial tribunal, that no payments after the 6th January would be forthcoming in your case.

‘You are appealing against this ruling and quote a letter of 3/3/06 from Brother T Woodley, General Secretary to Sister Mary O’Reilly of Region 1 ACTS Branch which you say contradicts me.’

Timpson told the two ladies that Tony Woodley had given the instruction that they should not be paid hardship money.

On March 29 the two ladies received a reply to their appeal from Barry Campfield, the acting regional secretary, who is also an Assistant General Secretary of the TGWU.

He told them in writing: ‘The details of your particular circumstances have been referred to me and having reviewed them, and after consultation with other national colleagues, I have to advise that I am not in a position to vary the decision previously given to you. Therefore no further hardship grants will be made in your case.’