‘WE want people to march with us on May Day,’ Gate Gourmet locked-out worker Parmjit Baines said yesterday.
She was on a campaign team that got great support from trade unionists at Southall Fire Station, Greenford Bus Garage and Greenford Royal Mail Sorting Office.
‘We are not going to let the bosses or the union leaders get away with what they have done to us,’ Parmit continued.
‘The union leaders have stopped our hardship payments since the 6th of January so we have to go out collecting and raising money.
‘We need our jobs back but only on our original terms and conditions, not the slave labour conditions Tony Woodley and the leaders of our union have agreed with the company.’
Fellow locked-out worker Rajamy Sharma added: ‘People support us a lot. We are very angry at what the company did to us and that now the union leaders have stopped our hardship payments.’
She added: ‘We are going to march on May Day. We are the locked-out workers and the whole of the TUC should fight for us.’
At Southall Fire Station FBU member Clive bought his ticket for the rally at the end of the May Day march in London, and said: ‘We need union leaders who will defend jobs and services.’
At Greenford Bus Garage TGWU member Andy McLeod said: ‘I agree with what you are doing and what you are trying to fight for. If they get away with it there they’ll do it everywhere.’
Bus driver Mr D S Gill said: ‘I know a few people involved in your dispute and I fully support them.’
Greenford Royal Mail Sorting Office CWU rep Geoff Loftus said: ‘The TUC leaders and the TGWU leaders should be ashamed of themselves.
‘The members are the union and without the union the bosses will do what they have done at Gate Gourmet everywhere.
‘The union leaders have got to be made either to support you or go. This could happen to every working class person the length and breadth of the country, not just at the hands of the bosses, but at the hands of the union leaders and the TUC.’
Geoff added: ‘We’ve got massive struggles here as well.’ CWU member Lanre Ogundiwin said: ‘This is no time for slavery. There should be freedom and no more harassment.’
He added: ‘The trouble is when we elect our union reps many of them climb up the ladder and become something else, they don’t fight for us any more.’
