Workers Revolutionary Party - MASS PICKET A GREAT SUCCESS

The News Line: News Monday, 23 January 2006 MASS PICKET A GREAT SUCCESS

A section of yesterday’s 150-strong mass picket

‘We want our jobs back! No to the Compromise Agreement! Kick out Gate Gourmet!’ shouted 150 locked out Gate Gourmet workers and supporters at their mass picket yesterday.

The locked out workers also expressed their feelings about the leaders of their union, the Transport and General Workers’ Union, who have been trying to get members to sign away their rights and accept the sack.

The pickets shouted ‘Tony Woodley, no more! Brendan Gold, no more!’

Locked out worker Amar Want told News Line: ‘We want to win. It is a good picket. We want to carry on like this until we win.

‘I’m looking forward to this Sunday’s News Line-Gate Gourmet conference. It is important. We want everyone to come.

‘We won’t sign the Compromise Agreement. The union leaders are selling us out, they should never have agreed to it.’

Parmjeet Sidhu was angry. She said: ‘We got this letter with no signature but with a T&G heading.

‘It said if we do not sign the compromise agreement, the union solicitor will check the file and only take up tribunal cases if they think they will be successful.

‘Whoever sent this letter is doing wrong. They are playing games with us.’

Locked out worker Urmi Sami also condemned the unsigned letter as an attempt to pressurise the locked out workers.

She added: ‘Today’s picket is brilliant!

‘The union leaders are no good, especially Tony Woodley.

Bill Mackeith, NUJ delegate to Oxford TUC, told News Line: ‘Our banner is here because Oxford Trades Council fully supports the sacked Gate Gourmet workers to get their jobs back with no detriment to terms and conditions.’

‘They are leading the way, along with the Gate Gourmet workers on strike at Düsseldorf.’