TGWU leader Tony Woodley confirmed yesterday that the hardship payments to the locked out Gate Gourmet workers have been stopped.
He informed a delegation of sacked workers that only those who had signed the so-called Compromise Agreement with Gate Gourmet, and had agreed to work to the US company’s survival plan, would receive hardship payments until they were re-engaged by the company.
Woodley added that the union had already given them £1.1 million. In fact, the union received massive hardship donations for the locked out workers.
The struggle has therefore cost the TGWU nothing but the reputations of its leaders.
They are now reviled as the partners of the US ‘gangster capitalist’ company, Gate Gourmet, who in order to get a close relationship with Gate Gourmet and BA boss Walsh, sold out their members’ jobs and terms and conditions of service.
Yesterday Woodley was still trying to drive the locked out workers into signing the Compromise Agreement, with his declaration on the hardship payments, adding that not many of them had good cases to go before an industrial tribunal.
However, this was not his position when Gate Gourmet locked out up to 800 workers last August 10th, when he christened the firm ‘gangster capitalist’.
He said then: ‘There cannot be a worker, a member of the public, or a decent boss in this country who would condone Gate Gourmet’s attack on this workforce and your community.’ Woodley pledged that all the sacked workers would be returned to their jobs and only then would he be prepared to discuss any proposals of the Gate Gourmet management.
At that time TGWU Secretary for Aviation, Brendan Gold, declared: ‘Gate Gourmet’s behaviour strikes at the very heart of this community. And it strikes at the very heart of the T&G. We will simply not accept it.’
At the TUC Congress in Brighton on September 12th Woodley pledged that he was ready to go to prison, and moved an emergency resolution calling for full support, short of illegal action, from all trade unions for the locked out workers.
Two weeks after the congress, he capitulated and made a deal with Gate Gourmet, accepting over 144 compulsory redundancies and hundreds of voluntary redundancies. He also accepted the company’s survival plan, and that before any worker could be re-engaged every worker would have to sign an agreement giving up their tribunal rights and any right to take legal action against the company.
Signatories who were made redundant even had to agree that they would never seek work with Gate Gourmet in the future or with any company associated with Gate Gourmet.
The last official statement by Gate Gourmet, at Christmas, was that only 200 workers had signed the Compromise Agreement.
Responding to this situation the TGWU leaders sent around an unsigned letter saying that the union would not be taking every case to the tribunal, despite the fact that the union solicitors had lodged the over 760 cases.
This was an attempt to frighten workers into signing the deal. Yesterday Woodley told the locked out workers that the only way that they would receive hardship money was by signing the deal. He is working overtime for Gate Gourmet.
His grovelling to the boss has only made the locked out workers more defiant. TGWU members, branches and regions must learn the lesson. If Woodley is willing to sacrifice the Gate Gourmet workers to get good relations with the boss, he will do the same to you. All TGWU members must join this struggle, and insist that Woodley is sacked, the Gate Gourmet dispute is made official and the resolution carried at the TUC Congress is activated to win this struggle.
