UP to 5,000 people marched through central London yesterday on the TUC May Day demonstration.
The PCS trade union was on 24-hour strike against mass sackings in the civil service, while the NHS trade unions organised lunchtime industrial action around the country.
On the London march, the 200 strong WRP and YS contingent contained Gate Gourmet locked-out workers, Chagos Islanders, trade unionists and youth.
Chants of ‘Victory to the Gate Gourmet workers! Jobs back now!’, ‘Chagos Islanders will return to Diego Garcia! It’s their right!’ rang out for the duration of the march, along with ‘Victory to the Iraqi resistance! Troops out now!’, ‘Defend our hospitals! Occupy now!’, ‘We won’t pay tuition fees! Education must be free!’, ‘Victory to Palestine! End Zionism now!’, ‘What do we want? Socialism! When we do want it? Now!’
Many trade unionists spoke to News Line during the course of the march.
Seamus McBride, chair of the TGWU South West London 11148 branch, said: ‘It’s essential that the union supports its members.
‘The gripe we’ve got with the leadership is them not supporting their elected officials when they are discriminated against.
‘They don’t automatically provide legal assistance to sacked shop stewards. They subject it to what they call the “50 per cent rule’’, where they evaluate whether there is a 50 per cent chance of success.
‘In effect, they very rarely support victimised members.
‘But if a shop steward is attacked, a union should automatically defend them. It’s just basic.’
Seamus added: ‘We have always supported the Gate Gourmet locked-out workers and are disgusted that our leadership has stopped supporting them.
‘We will continue to support them until they get justice.’
TGWU shop steward at Hillingdon Council, Jack Singh, said: ‘I think it’s appalling that these fellow members have been let down.
‘I remember when they were first locked out and I saw the TV documentary.
‘It showed how it was blatantly pre-planned to get rid of the workers and bring in cheap labour.
‘I’m disgusted at our union leadership.’
Russell Trimm, a member of RAWUSA (Retail and Associated Workers Union of South Africa), which is affiliated to COSATU (the South African TUC), marched with the Gate Gourmet workers.
He said: ‘I’m now working in England and was for 10 years a trade union organiser in South Africa.
‘I’ve spoken to my colleagues in South Africa about the Gate Gourmet struggle and they are very interested in its outcome.
‘Workers have got a common struggle and globally common issues, both in their struggle with the employers and within their unions.
‘If trade unions lose touch with their grassroots, their leaders tend not to see eye to eye with the workers.
‘In COSATU, there is a struggle against the bureaucracy as well as here in Britain.
‘I believe in socialism. From the information I have read, I am shocked at how the Gate Gourmet workers have been treated.
‘They are right to struggle against the bureaucracy and fight to overthrow it.’
Chagos Islands campaigner, Fedora Theresinge, was with a contingent of more than 50 Chagos Islanders.
She said: ‘I’m here to protest against the Chagos Islands being stolen by the British and American governments.
‘We are angry because we were expelled from our homeland, way back in 1972, to make way for an American naval base.
‘The British did it to serve America. The whole trade union movement has to sort this out.
‘We have been fighting for 40 years. I think and hope that we are close to victory now.’
Fellow Chagos Islander, Anna Konace, added: ‘I want them to return back our island, Diego Garcia.
‘I am very angry. They’ve done wrong. They didn’t tell people what they were doing.
‘Some people have no job, no house, and no health.
‘We are underpaid and exploited.
‘We are very proud to be marching here behind our banner today. We want the trade union movement to take up our struggle.’
Gate Gourmet locked-out worker and TGWU member, Lakhinder Saran, said: ‘The union leaders did their dirtiest work with us.
‘To start with, they said all out, all in.
‘Then they dumped us, like rubbish.
‘They don’t want to know us anymore, but we are still strong.
‘Woodley (TGWU general secretary) must resign.
‘If he can’t stick to his word, then he has to go.
‘This is an issue for the whole union.
‘If the Woodley leadership gets away with what it did to us, then they will do it over and over again.’
