GATE Gourmet strikers are travelling to the TUC Congress in Brighton on Monday demanding action to win their dispute from the TUC not just words.
On Tuesday 10 strikers are to meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown at the TUC, according to TGWU national officer Paul Baulch.
Strikers told News Line yesterday morning that they wanted full reinstatement immediately.
Kuldip Khara said: ‘The union and the company have wasted enough time talking.
‘We never get a true picture. We want the whole airport to do what the BA workers did – take action to reinstate all 773 workers – that is the real figure for people sacked.
Kuldip added: ‘The anti-union laws have to be smashed. The TUC must take action against the government to change the law, and call a general strike.’
Mrs S Chahal said: ‘We want to see the trade union leaders face to face on Monday morning. We want action from both the TGWU and the TUC to win our struggle.
‘We have been waiting too long. it is already one month.
‘We are very hard wrkers and the company does not treat us with any respect.
‘They do not treat us like human beings.
‘The trade unions must show their strength by winning our reinstatement now.’
On Wednesday evening local Labour MP John McDonnell addressed a mass meeting of the pickets.
He said: ‘This is one of the worst and most abusive employers in a generation.
‘You came out of work together and you must go back to work together. There must be no victimisation.
‘It is time for the TUC to take action against this capitalist robber barron. We want parliament to be called back to discuss this emergency.’
McDonnell later told News Lne: ‘I am back on the picket line demanding the full reinstatement of all of the workers withut any victimisation.
‘I am calling upon the government to enact legislation to prevent these abuses by an employer.
‘We should recall parliament immediately. Further industrial action is the only way to resolve this dispute.
‘The sympathy action of the 11th and 12 th of August taught BA a lesson.
‘It demonstrated that industrial action is the way to curb abusive enployers.
‘The TUC should take action as well as the TGWU to win this dispute.’
Striker Parmjit Bains said: ‘I told John McDonell that the Labiur Party is in power. and the working class is suffering.
‘Who will fight for us? We need a different party that will fight for us.’
She added: ‘When we go to the TUC next week, we are going to demand action for our immediate reinstatement, and we all want to see Gordon Brown on Tuesday, not just ten of us.
‘We want to tell him to tell Gate Gourmet, either reinstate us all now, or he will nationalise the company without any compensation.’
• Second news story
CLARKE REVEALS 100 ON KEEP OUT LIST
Home Secretary Charles Clarke yesterday revealed that on his instruction, British embassies around the world have drawn up a ‘warning index’ of up to 100 individuals to be refused entry into the UK under planned new anti-terror measures.
Clarke said British embassies and high commissions had been asked for names of suspect foreign nationals and the countries where they are based.
If any such persons try to enter the UK, they will be held in immigration while a minister examines their application.
Home Secretary Clarke claimed: ‘We didn’t solicit anything from foreign governments.
‘What we did do was ask our missions in countries throughout the world to think whether there were any individuals who might be refused permission to come into this country on the grounds that their presence here was not conducive to the public good in accordance with the unacceptable behaviours that I described.
‘They have sent names, we are considering them, and they are currently on our warnings index which means there would be a ministerial decision on any individual case.’
