GATE Gourmet locked-out workers got good support yesterday as they campaigned for their lobby of the TUC annual conference in Brighton next Monday morning followed by a lunchtime meeting.
At Greenford Royal Mail centre CWU area processing rep Geoff Loftus said: ‘It is very disturbing in the 21st century that people are treated like this and I’m ashamed that these fellow trade union members have been let down so badly.
‘First the company locked out eight hundred people from their workplace then their own trade union failed to back them properly.
‘Mr Woodley (TGWU general secretary) has got some questions to answer and when I go down to Brighton on Monday I’m going to ask him.
‘How dare he abandon these members, the first thing he should do is reinstate and backdate their hardship payments which I understand have ceased since January.’
He added: ‘Privatisation is hitting all of us and the TUC must take it seriously and stop messing about.’
Steve Jackson, CWU deputy early rep said: ‘I’ll be very happy to speak at the Gate Gourmet meeting in Brighton, their anniversary last month was a good day, lots of people came out to support them, hopefully in Brighton there will be even more support.
The TUC made these promises twelve months ago and nothing has materialised, why not? These workers are still paying their subs.’
Steve added: ‘We are fighting privatisation. Crown offices are being franchised to WH Smith.
‘We fought privatisation in 1994 against the Tories and won.
‘Why pay a levy to a government that is not listening to us.
‘Now we’ve got a possible future prime minister Alan Johnston (former CWU general secretary) up against us who looks as if he’s going to stab his own people in the back.
‘The CWU and the TUC should stop paying the political levy until the Labour government stops privatisation.’
