CRIES of ‘TUC, let us in!’ rang out from locked out Gate Gourmet workers and their supporters outside the TUC Conference in Brighton on Monday morning, after TGWU Region One (London) Secretary Steven Hart barred their entry.
The locked out workers contrasted their reception to last year, when delegates gave them two standing ovations and unanimously passed an emergency resolution pledging full support.
Vijaya Patel said: ‘We are all angry they won’t let us in. We want to fight with them, demand our hardship pay and ask them why they are not helping us as they should.’
Satpal Sagoo said: ‘We are very tight for money. Since we were here last year we have been through many experiences, including the big betrayal when Woodley and Barber signed the Compromise Agreement and tried to make us accept it.
‘We wouldn’t accept because it is so wrong. Then Woodley stopped paying our hardship payments in January. We are very tight for money. We should get what we are entitled to.
‘Many people supported us last year and also this year, but not our own union leadership. It doesn’t want to know us and wants to hide its shame.’
Mohinder Virk said: ‘We are so angry with the union, especially Tony Woodley and Steven Hart.
‘Hart says he won’t get us visitor passes because we don’t represent the struggle. But it’s us who are leading the struggle, it’s them that don’t represent the struggle.
‘If we had done what Woodley told us to do then we would have lost everything and the company would have won all it wanted.’
Devinder Bath said: ‘They are too frightened to let us in because they don’t want to see our faces inside after what they have done to us this year.’
The locked out workers were speaking to News Line after Steven Hart, following repeated requests, had eventually come out of the conference centre to speak to them.
Hart had told his members: ‘We know the struggle is continuing, but as far as we are concerned you are not a representative group and we are not letting you come in.’
Before turning on his heel, Hart claimed: ‘There is no betrayal, we have done everything we can. Now I am going back inside.’
Jim Donaghy, Belfast Amicus, said: ‘Someone needs to remind the T&G that trade unionism started with workers protesting and marching in the streets. This smacks of the Liverpool dockers, who were also sold out by the T&G leaders.’
David Smith, TGWU Region Three (Ireland) Vice Chair, said: ‘Our group has supported the Gate Gourmet struggle and sent money along. It’s a disgrace that their hardship pay has stopped.’
Greenford Mail Centre CWU branch officer, Geoff Loftus, commented: ‘In their minds they know it’s wrong what they did to you and that’s why they won’t let you in. Six of us came today to support you and we’re very glad we did. We will continue to support you all the way through.’
GMB full time officer Mick Rix said: ‘All workers and trade unionists should support people who have suffered this terrible punitive action by their employer. I’ve got every sympathy with the Gate Gourmet workers.’
John Oliver, Amicus South Yorkshire delegate, said: ‘Woodley’s ideas don’t match mine. What he has done in the motor industry is clear: he has not fought to defend jobs.
‘I am not opposed to the planned merger of Amicus and the TGWU, I’m just not in favour of Woodley being handed the General Secretaryship.’
Nurses from north London came to support the Gate Gourmet lobby and to demand that the TUC calls action to defend the NHS.
UNISON member Ros Williams said: ‘Two important questions facing the TUC this week are the Gate Gourmet struggle and the NHS.
‘The NHS is being privatised and patient care is being compromised. The TUC should take action to prevent the drastic changes which are being brought in with no consultation.
‘They are imposing compulsory redundancies and closing and transferring services. We want a Day of Action to defend the NHS.’
Adasola said: ‘In addition to what my colleague said, I want to express my concern for student nurses who qualify and can’t get a job. No more quality care for patients! One nurse is now doing the job of two people.’
Amicus member Des Heemskerk, who was also lobbying the TUC delegates, said: ‘I used to be Deputy Convenor at the Ford Motor Vehicle Amicus Branch in Dagenham, Essex.
‘I am now unemployed, having been unfairly dismissed from my job as a union employee along with two colleagues.
‘I fully appreciate how angry the Gate Gourmet workers feel about the Woodley leadership in the TGWU. It’s treacherous, the same as the Simpson leadership in Amicus.
‘Another comparison is that like the Gate Gourmet workers, we are also going to our employment tribunals in November and are confident of victory.
‘We support the Gate Gourmet workers in their call for reinstatement. We need leaders who will stand up for their members, not stab them in the back.’
Jim Dawson, POA full time officer, said: ‘We voted for the resolution last year. We are always concerned when the will of the conference is not carried through.
‘We sent money to the Gate Gourmet Hardship Fund and I am shocked to hear that the workers have had no money since January.
‘I think our General Secretary Brian Caton intends to raise what is happening.’
After their lobby, the Gate Gourmet workers held a very successful lunchtime meeting in a nearby seafront hotel.
Parmjit Bains told the packed meeting, which was attended by many TUC delegates: ‘Our dispute is not over. It’s more than one year now and we are still fighting.
‘First the company treated us as slaves and then the union signed the Compromise Agreement and tried to sell us out. They signed it, we didn’t, and we won’t.
‘Tony Woodley was on the radio last night and he admitted the dispute is not over. But he wouldn’t let us go inside the conference this morning.
‘What they don’t understand is that we are still T&G members, so if they admit the dispute is not over why are they not holding our hands and helping us to win?
‘It’s because they are ashamed of what they did, selling us.
‘Whatever the company wanted, they gave to them: 400 people sacked, and the union put pressure on people to take the money and go away.
‘The ones who went back are now being treated like slaves, with more work and more pressure. They are now saying they made a big mistake to sign. Now we can say we are proud of our stand and are going forward to victory.’
She concluded: ‘Please continue your support, we couldn’t win without it.’
Chairing the meeting, Sheila Torrance said: ‘It’s one year since the Gate Gourmet workers came to the TUC and got a standing ovation.
‘This year, T&G Region One secretary, Steven Hart, came out and said: we won’t let you in.
‘If you look over the year, not a single action has been called by the TUC until today, and today the action was to keep you out.
‘The Compromise Agreement meant people would have to completely sign over their rights.
‘If the workers hadn’t stood their ground, the company would have got everything it wanted.
‘In Gate Gourmet today, people are working 50 per cent harder.
‘The T&G leaders have tried to use hardship payments to blackmail the workers into signing the Compromise Agreement.
‘They have had nothing since January 6. We should congratulate the Gate Gourmet workers.
‘They’ve been put under enormous pressure, phoned by the union, morning, noon and night, to sign the Compromise Agreement.’
Locked-out Gate Gourmet shop steward Harbinder Singh said: ‘We are very pleased you have all come to our meeting.
‘The TUC promised one year ago they would win our struggle, but then they signed the Compromise Agreement, which is a rotten agreement.
‘Now many companies won’t give us work, because we are Gate Gourmet workers.
‘I bought my house in August 2005. We are suffering great hardship, we get no benefit from the Job Centre and the DSS, and we are in a very critical condition.
‘In November, the employment tribunals will decide if we were unfairly dismissed.
‘The union leaders are not with us and we are asking for your continued support in the future.’
Senior nurse and RCN member at North Middlesex Hospital, Philomena Jayasurya brought greetings and support to the meeting.
She said: ‘Downsizing of the NHS means losing beds and losing jobs. People seem to be sleeping until doomsday comes.
‘They are downsizing all hospitals.
‘In the past, after operations people used to stay in overnight.
‘Now they are sending people home, 70 and 80 year olds, after they have had operations. They are sending them home the same day. We can’t sit back and accept this.’
She added: ‘These colleagues at Gate Gourmet aren’t getting the support they should be getting.
‘They weren’t even let in the door today.
‘New leaders are needed in the TUC and the RCN.’
Greenford Mail Centre CWU officer, Richard Kassir, said: ‘I was privileged to walk with the Gate Gourmet workers on their anniversary march in Southall last month.
‘Last year at the TUC the Gate Gourmet workers were invited in and got a standing ovation. This year nothing.
‘Then, a high-ranking official of the T&G came out, when most delegates had already gone in, and said: “Go away”. I am ashamed to say that this was a union officer.’
He continued: ‘Corporations are monsters: the more you feed them, the more they want. The only power greater than the corporations is the working people.
‘It’s fantastic that you’ve stood together and more power to you until your victory.’
All Trades Union Alliance National Secretary Dave Wiltshire said: ‘Tony Woodley was strutting the stage at last year’s conference.
‘He’s not strutting anywhere now. Now he scuttles in at the back.
‘The TUC is not even discussing the crisis in the Labour government. It is a crisis of the system.
‘Woodley cannot defend these workers. He thinks Gate Gourmet must be helped and kept going at all costs.
‘He has done the same thing in the motor industry and now the motor industry is virtually closed down.
‘These reformist leaders see their job as propping up bankrupt companies, but the working class is on the move. There are huge struggles erupting everywhere.
‘We say the issues in front of the TUC are bringing down this Labour government and bringing in a workers government and renationalisation.
‘The issue before us now is moving against Woodley and all these reformist leaders.
‘We have to move forward to a workers government that will implement socialist policies.’
Speaking from the floor, Hillingdon Hospital strike leader Malkiat Bilku said: ‘We were on strike for five long years.
‘We forced our union to make the strike official and we got our jobs back. We never gave in.
‘I salute all Gate Gourmet workers. Victory is in your hands. The trade union leaders are not that strong.’