GATE Gourmet locked-out workers were very angry yesterday at having to reapply at the Hillingdon TGWU union office for their February hardship payment, which they had been promised by Region One Deputy Regional Secretary Patrick O’Keeffe.
The locked-out workers have been fighting since August 10th last year and up until January 6th were receiving hardship payments from their union.
The hardship payments were stopped at the behest of TGWU general secretary Tony Woodley.
Last month, Patrick O’Keeffe met with the locked-out workers and said that he would organise hardship payments for February. Only one worker had been invited to the meeting. The others went along to see what was happening.
However, the locked-out workers received a letter from O’Keeffe last week returning a letter with the names of locked out workers entitled to the payment.
He said that they would have to come in to the Hillingdon union office to apply. When 20 workers went to the office yesterday they were met rudely and were not allowed to use the toilet.
At their weekly picket of the Hillingdon office yesterday, Parmjit Bains said: ‘I don’t know why they are saying that they won’t pay those who didn’t go to the meeting.
‘We’ve handed in our names, we all need the money and not just for February, but for every month until the dispute is over.
‘All 100 locked-out workers who are going forward to the Employment Tribunal must receive the hardship payments.’
Parmjit added: ‘Tonight we have been invited to a T&G branch meeting to speak.
‘We are going to explain how we were sacked unfairly by the company and how badly the union leaders have treated us, by signing the compromise deal without our agreement, messing about with our hardship pay, and now locking us out of the toilets at our regional office.
‘But especially we are going to invite them to our anniversary march and rally in Southall on the 20th of August.’
Mohinder Virk said: ‘The receptionist at the Hillingdon union office told us we can’t use the toilets. We are union members and we pay our dues, we have always used the toilets before, this is not good behaviour.’
Asha Varma said: ‘Our union should be proud of us, not treating us like rubbish. We want all our fellow members to come to our march and rally on the 20th August. We will give everyone a big welcome and show how trade unionists should behave.’
Fellow TGWU members and officers donated money to the locked-out workers as they went in and out of the office.
Manzaoor Khan, from First Junction Buses Willesden, said: ‘The employers are despicable and the union should be standing up for these members.
‘The union should never have signed the Compromise Agreement without the agreement of these members, it is all wrong, our union is a member-led union that is the beauty of the TGWU.’
Asking for details of the march and rally on the 20th, Khan added: ‘I will raise it with all my members and we will definitely be there.’