A DELEGATION of Gate Gourmet locked out workers is due to meet the TGWU head of civil aviation, Brendan Gold, at the union’s head office this morning in Holborn.
Speaking on the picket line yesterday morning, locked out Gate Gourmet workers told News Line that they have clear demands.
Parmit Bains said: ‘We are not begging Gold for anything.
‘We want him and Woodley to stop supporting Gate Gourmet and to start supporting us.
‘We are demanding that the union makes our dispute official and gives us official dispute pay.
‘We need a proper shelter on our picket line, and heating.
‘People are coming every day and it’s terribly cold. We are going to tell Gold that the “Compromise Agreement” that he has signed with the company is not acceptable to us, and we will not sign it.
‘As far as we are concerned it is dead and now it must be buried.
‘Our union leaders must stop trying to divide us up on behalf of the company and start fighting for us all to win our reinstatement, on our original terms and conditions.’
Fellow TGWU member Mrs Mani Odedra said: ‘The “Compromise Agreement” is rubbish. Under it we would lose everything.
‘We would lose the past three and a half months pay and pension, and not be able to claim unfair dismissal at an Employment Tribunal and compensation for the way that we have been treated.
‘We are fighting for our right but not only ours.
‘We are fighting for everybody’s rights. For all workers’ rights. If we lose this time, everybody will lose next time.’
Fellow picket Harjeet added: ‘I am one of the 144 plus that the company has selected for compulsory redundancy.’
‘The union solicitors told me that the case is strong.
‘The company has offered me £5,000 to sign but I have lost more than that since I’ve been out.’
‘I am standing firm and will fight for my rights.
‘We are all in this together.’
