Workers Revolutionary Party - UNIONS MAKE TERMINAL 5 DEAL

The News Line: News Friday, 1 June 2007 UNIONS MAKE TERMINAL 5 DEAL – but refuse to reveal the details

Gate Gourmet sacked workers lobbying the TGWU offices at Hillingdon. Gate Gourmet workers were sacked so that a ‘survival plan’ could be brought in – now BA workers face a similar situation over Terminal 5 at Heathrow

Trade union officials were yesterday giving out mixed messages about a new staffing levels agreement with British Airways for the move to Terminal 5 but indicated there will be redundancies and changes in working conditions.

A spokesman for the TGWU told News Line that an agreement had been made but would give no details.

He said: ‘The move should herald a new era for BA, but we will continue to ensure there are no compulsory job losses.’

GMB organiser Gary Pearce told News Line: ‘No agreement has been signed.

‘Staff have accepted new proposals from the T5 Consultation Group (of trade unions).

‘They said “we want to see the detail” so it’s gone back to the T5 Consultation Group which is discussing it this week.’

Pearce would give no details but said clauses on operational procedures included ‘signing in and staffing numbers levels’.

Lax, a baggage handler at British Airways told News Line: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if they had signed a new deal.

‘It’s been talked about how it’s going to be more strict at Terminal 5, they’re going to try and get tough but how tough is the question.

‘At the moment at Terminal 1 it’s all give and take. The unions haven’t got a good reputation, they roll over too easily.

‘We are very upset at what happened to the Gate Gourmet workers they shouldn’t have been sacked like that.

‘Some of the managers have no people skills. Experienced managers negotiate but inexperienced managers try to wield the whip.

‘We intend to protect our terms and conditions.’

A TGWU official who did not wish to be named because of BA disciplinary rules told News Line the merger of Terminal 1 and Terminal 4 would lead to ‘duplication’ but he believed staffing levels would stay the same.

‘We have enough staff, we won’t need extra because of the long-distance taking cargo to T5, they will need extra drivers’ he said.

He added that an agreement ‘for ramp workers was made six months ago, there was an agreement made for check-in staff a few days ago’.

He said BA would be using new technology, including electronic allocations.

He said there would be no sackings as a result but ‘if there are surplus workers, we have a redeployment agreement’.

Asked about pay and conditions, he said that ‘the pay is the same’, but there ‘will be some changes in working conditions’, but ‘we’ve yet to get into T5 to see what they might be’.

He said BA want ‘full-shift working’, and an end to out of date working practices.