GATE Gourmet workers were very angry yesterday when they heard that BA has decided that three BA shop stewards are to face disciplinary hearings after the company decided that they ‘have a case to answer’.
The three shop stewards, who represent baggage handlers, could be sacked if found guilty of misconduct.
The more than 700 sacked Gate Gourmet workers were locked out on August 10th and immediately 1,000 BA workers came out in a sympathy strike in their support.
BA has confirmed to News Line that the three would be facing disciplinary hearings.
Harmohinder told News Line on the Gate Gourmet picket line: ‘If the BA shop stewards are sacked then the whole trade union movement should come out.
‘I think that they will come out.
‘It is a basic principle. When we were locked out the BA workers showed the whole world how trade unionists should act.
‘They only went back because the TGWU leaders sent them back.
‘These leaders have to go.’
Fellow picket Gurdev added: ‘If BA workers get the sack the whole airport will come out’.
Speaking about the proposed settlement for the Gate Gourmet dispute she added: ‘We are going to reject the compromise agreement. The union leaders have got the worst deal possible, and definitely not the best deal possible.
‘Those who go back under this deal will be treated just as we were.
‘They will have to be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. They will be working in all different departments at the same time, to show maximum flexibility.
‘The others who will be made compulsorily redundant will be on a blacklist for life.
‘They will be branded as trouble makers and who will be willing to employ them?
‘We are not going to sign any compromise agreement. We want the whole airport to come out to win our reinstatement on our original terms and conditions.’
Mrs S Kaur added: ‘We don’t want this deal. We want reinstatement on our original terms and conditions.’
Another picket Peter said: ‘We have heard that some of the 200 Gourmet International workers have come to work here at Gate Gourmet.
‘Gourmet International, or Xavier Gourmet as they were calling themselves, went bankrupt two weeks ago.
‘Now a lot of the workers have been transferred here.
‘It is ridiculous and no good. They are going to be mistreated, exactly like we were.
‘We think that the company is playing for time, and playing with our lives.’
