Workers Revolutionary Party - ALL OUT FOR GATE GOURMET DEMONSTRATION

The News Line: News Saturday, 18 March 2006 ALL OUT FOR GATE GOURMET DEMONSTRATION

Gate Gourmet locked-out workers winning great support from West London busworkers

‘WE want all trade unionists and everyone who supports the working class to come to our march next Saturday,’ Gate Gourmet locked-out worker Raksha Sharma said yesterday whilst campaigning around west London bus garages.

The Gate Gourmet locked-out workers are fighting for reinstatement and demanding that their union, the TGWU, supports them and restores their hardship payments which were stopped on the 6th of January.

At Greenford bus garage, TGWU rep Isaac Dawodhu bought his ticket for the ‘evening of entertainment’ at the Dominion Centre in Southall next Friday, where the locked-out workers are welcoming a delegation of Gate Gourmet strikers from Dusseldorf in Germany.

Isaac said: ‘I support the struggle and I will do everything I can to make sure colleagues come next weekend. I will also organise a collection.’

Greenford T&G member Aris Mahmood said: ‘I will definitely come on the march, we need a leadership in the union to defend the members, the union must support these members until the end.’

Fellow bus driver Aman Deep Singh said: ‘I think these workers must get the money the company owes them and they should go back on their proper terms and conditions. The union should back them until it’s over.’

At Stamford Brook bus garage T&G rep Richard Cushen said: ‘I’ve got a union officers’ meeting with reps from 18 London bus garages tonight and will give them all posters and leaflets.

‘It’s fundamental that the union should be supporting this struggle. The struggle started well, BA lost £41 million when their workers came out in sympathy, then the union leaders made an agreement which the workers involved didn’t understand and don’t accept.

‘This needs to be publicised up again, I will come on the march.’