Workers Revolutionary Party - NO ‘COMPROMISE AGREEMENT!’ say Gate Gourmet workers

The News Line: News Tuesday, 20 September 2005 NO ‘COMPROMISE AGREEMENT!’ say Gate Gourmet workers

Locked out Gate Gourmet workers speak with their TGWU shop steward outside the Heathrow plant at the weekend. They have been locked out since August 10, demanding full reinstatement on their original terms and conditions

SHOP Stewards representing the 670 locked out Gate Gourmet workers are meeting Transport and General Workers Union General Secretary Tony Woodley at the union’s head office in London at midday today.

Workers on the picket line at Heathrow Airport told News Line yesterday that they would not accept the ‘compromise agreement’ being publicised on the Gate Gourmet website.

Mr H Singh told News Line: ‘We have told our shop stewards that when they go to this meeting with Woodley they must not agree to anything. They must report back to us.

‘We reject the compromise agreement. The company must not be allowed to pick and choose who comes back and we don’t want any changes in conditions.

‘We want reinstatement on our previous terms and conditions, not re-engagement on new terms and conditions, and we must not give up our right to claim unfair dismissal.’

Mrs S Gill said: ‘We will wait until they come back and tell us what the company is proposing, then we will decide what we need to do.

‘We must win otherwise every other company on the airport will try to break the union. It must be reinstatement for all on our original terms and conditions. We will call on all workers on the airport to come out if need be.’

Chanan Rattu said: ‘We have to beat Gate Gourmet and BA. We want all the workers back in.
‘When we were inside the company said they wanted to get rid of sick pay, bring down the wages and make overtime flat rate.

‘These are the terms and conditions they want. We don’t accept these things and we don’t accept the proposed “compromise agreement” between the union and management.

‘We must all be reinstated on our original terms and conditions and the company must not be allowed to pick and choose.

‘We all came out together and we must all go back together.

‘We’ve got support from the American Gate Gourmet workers, we’ve got support from the other Heathrow workers and we’ve got support from the TUC.’