Workers Revolutionary Party - No compulsory redundancies say Gourmet workers

The News Line: News Wednesday, 26 October 2005 No compulsory redundancies say Gourmet workers

Gate Gourmet workers yesterday – determined that they will return to work together

ON the picket line at Heathrow Airport yesterday Gate Gourmet workers told News Line that they were not going to accept compulsory redundancy.

Mr Gurbaksish said: ‘The union has sold us cheap. The company will take no-one back the way things are going.

‘If Gate Gourmet wanted to re-employ us they would have taken us back by now.’

Mrs Sagu added: ‘It is three weeks since this deal and we are still waiting to get our jobs back.

‘The decision is bad because more than 144 have been told they are down for compulsory redundancy.
I think it is 22 more than 144.’

Speaking of her friend who was standing next to her, Mrs S Kaur said: ‘Mrs Daljit Saran was, according to her work and her behaviour, voted as the best worker of her department.

‘How can they now choose her to be made compulsorily redundant.

‘Nobody is a troublemaker, we are all the same. Everyone was chucked out together and everyone must go in together.

‘Either everybody goes in or nobody goes in. We do not accept pick and choose.’

Mohinder said: ‘I am very angry about the deal because it is not fair. I’m especially angry with the union leaders they are attacking all of us.’

Mrs J Kaur told News Line ‘The union leaders told us to vote for this deal at the meeting in Southall.’

They said it was a good deal and we should vote for it.

‘But we never saw any of the deal details. I never got anything in my hand.

‘We have never seen the compromise agreement. We are waiting for our letters. I have worked here for 20 years, and they have offered me redundancy.

‘But under this deal there is no guarantee that they will pay it, and now they are delaying it and delaying it.

‘We can’t find another job because we do not know what is going to happen to us here.

‘I was unfairly dismissed. We all were.

‘The deadline for us putting in for an employment tribunal is November 9th. We must all do it.’