Gate GOURMET locked out workers were yesterday campaigning for their march through Hounslow on Saturday 25th March.
At Hounslow Civic Centre, where the rally is being held at the end of the march, Hounslow Council leader Colin Ellar, a GMB member, said: ‘I am happy to speak at the Gate Gourmet rally.
‘These fellow trade unionists, many of whom live in Hounslow, have been treated abominably.’
Hounslow UNISON branch secretary Gavin Mott added: ‘This struggle has to be supported by all trade unionists and we are proud as a branch to be sponsoring the rally at the Civic Centre.’
At Hounslow fire station Adrian, a firefighter on Green Watch, said: ‘These ladies have been sold down the river and must be supported.
‘I am shocked that they have had their hardship payments stopped by their union leaders.
‘They pay their union dues and are entitled to that support.
‘The union leadership is betraying its members and must be stopped.
‘We are on shift on the 25th, so we hope we will be allowed to come and maybe bring an engine.’
The campaign team also put up posters in local shops, and leafleted and left details of the march for the trade union officers at West Thames College and at the headquarters of the airline pilots’ union, BALPA.
They met a colleague, Smatara Begum, who told News Line: ‘I was phoned by the union solicitor last week.
‘They said “do you want the money?” I said that of course I want money, but I won’t sign this agreement, I am not a criminal.
‘The solicitor also said that the case is now at the tribunal so we should be hearing things soon.’
Lakhinder Saran said: ‘We did well today.
‘We are going back to meet with the BALPA union people and we’ll go back to the college.
‘We met two postal workers who are putting our poster up in their workplace.
‘And we did well with the fire station and at the council.’
She added: ‘If the company has taken staff back in, which they have, under the slave labour Survival Plan, then they can’t say that they won’t have us back.
‘The company must not be allowed to pick and choose.
‘We are fighting for reinstatement on our original terms and conditions and we are going to win.’