Workers Revolutionary Party - ‘WE NEED OUR HARDSHIP PAY’

The News Line: News Friday, 3 March 2006 ‘WE NEED OUR HARDSHIP PAY’

Gate Gourmet locked-out workers on the picket line yesterday

‘THE TGWU leaders are doing everything they can to try to make us give up the fight and sign the Compromise Agreement but we won’t sign,’ Asha Varma told News Line yesterday.

Speaking on the hill near Heathrow Airport, Terminal Four, where the Gate Gourmet locked-out workers have picketed every day since the 10th of August last year, Asha added: ‘They have to pay us our hardship money.

‘They haven’t paid us anything since the 6th of January. The union has received a lot of money in the name of the Gate Gourmet dispute and they are still getting donations.

‘They should distribute it to all of us who are still fighting for principles. The union must listen to its members and kick out (TGWU General Secretary) Woodley.’

Surinder Dhaliwal said: ‘We want all trade unionists to come to our march through Hounslow on Saturday the 25th of March to show that the unions are strong and won’t give in to slavery.

‘Gate Gourmet has got slave labour inside now with the help of the T&G leaders, the Gate Gourmet workers who are on strike in Germany are coming over to support our march.

‘We want lots of trade unionists especially T&G members from Britain.’

Sukhwinder Mundy said: ‘We are all suffering great hardship but what we are fighting for is very important. The company sacked us to cut wages and conditions and the union leaders are trying to help them get away with it.

‘This has to be stopped, the union has to fight for the workers not the company, it must make our dispute official, pay us our hardship payments and stop trying to starve us into submission.’