TWENTY Gate Gourmet locked-out workers picketed a meeting of TGWU sacked Gate Gourmet shop stewards at the Hillingdon regional office yesterday.
Most of the shop stewards, though not all, who attended the meeting support the sell-out Compromise Agreement made by the Woodley leadership of the union with the company.
It was rumoured that the TGWU general secretary would attend the meeting, but he did not turn up.
Instead, he sent Brendan Gold, the official who signed the deal. He turned up after the picket of the meeting had dispersed
The picketing locked-out workers spoke to News Line. Satti Uppal said: ‘We told the shop stewards that the union must restore our hardship money and they said go to the main office in London to complain.
‘We said we did that already and were told we would not get any more hardship money. We want our hardship pay until we get our jobs back.’
Harbans Saroway said: ‘We told them that they had done everything wrong – the top leaders of the union and most of our own shop stewards. We are so angry.’
Sukhwinder Mundy said: ‘I gave our branch secretary Jarnail Singh a copy of the letter I received from Barry Campsfield (Assistant General Secretary) last week saying I would get no more hardship payments. He said he would raise it at the meeting.’
Singh, who opposes the Compromise Agreement, said, as he went in to the meeting, ‘I’m going to show everyone this letter, we need the hardship payments.’
Another locked-out worker Mussarat Saeed said: ‘What kind of union leadership is this, telling me if I don’t sign the Compromise Agreement I will lose everything, these people should be on our side giving us good advice.
‘I’m fighting for justice and for my rights. It’s unbelievable. I’m very angry with the company and the union leadership too. They want me to sell my job for £5,000 I’m going to fight them to the finish. I have four children, I need my job.’
After the meeting Harbinder Singh told News Line: ‘They said there are 41 duplicate employment tribunal cases and 50 not duplicated, making 91 cases altogether.
‘The company has paid approximately £3 million in compensation and the union has spent £1.2 million in hardship payments.
‘The meeting was called by Brendan Gold, TGWU Civil Aviation head and Patrick O’Keefe, TGWU Region One Vice Secretary.
‘They said they were rebuilding the union inside Gate Gourmet and soon there would be elections.
‘When people asked about the hardship payments they said they would have to draw the line somewhere and there would be no more hardship payments.
‘They were told that people were angry about the hardship fund and angry about Tony Woodley (TGWU General Secretary) not protecting them when he said he would.’
