Workers Revolutionary Party - ‘We’ll picket until we get our jobs back’

The News Line: News Friday, 4 November 2005 ‘We’ll picket until we get our jobs back’

Locked out Gate Gourmet workers lobbying the TUC on Monday demanding action to win their jobs back seen here speaking to GMB general secretary PAUL KENNY

GATE Gourmet workers on the picket line at Heathrow Airport yesterday, said their lobby of the TUC General Council on Wednesday had been very successful.

Picket Gurdev told news Line: ‘What we did yesterday was most important.

‘Delegates were shocked when they heard that our own union leader Tony woodley, and the TUC general secretary Brendan Barber had signed up to a deal with Gate Gourmet management making hundreds of us compulsorily redundant.

‘We gave Woodley and Barber a hard time yesterday.

‘They are as bad as each other. They both backed the deal which takes away our jobs.

‘But we are not accepting it.

‘We are fighting for reinstatement for all of us. Barber and Woodley should resign.’

Shop steward Gurdip said: ‘If Woodley gets away with betraying us, he will betray everyone. We are not going to let him – no way.

‘When Woodley came here he said he sympathised with us, then he signed up to this rotten deal.’

She added: ‘when we go to sign on at the DSS, they say are you looking for a job?

‘We say no, our job is at Gate Gourmet. Then they refuse to give us any dole.

‘We are furious with our union leaders and our own senior shop stewards.’

Picket Majo added: ‘The union solicitor told us yesterday that they are going to file the case for everyone at the industrial tribunal by tomorrow Friday the 4th.

‘We are going to the Hillingdon TGWU office to make sure they do.

‘A lot of people have already sent their applications in, but some haven’t.

‘The deal has collapsed, that’s one hundred per cent certain.

‘We are going to the employment tribunal and we are going to keep the picket going.

‘We won’t leave this place until we win our jobs back.’

Mr Singh added: ‘At the meeting in Monsoon Hall in Southall last month, the union leaders said the Compromise Agreement is good and we should stop picketing.

‘But the Compromise Agreement is rubbish and we are going to keep picketing until we win our jobs back.’