GATE Gourmet workers who have been selected for compulsory redundancy angrily spoke to News Line over the weekend about letters they had received explaining their selection.
Devinder said: ‘In July, I received a certificate of commendation for being a good hard worker who had completed five years service.
‘In August, I was locked out. Last week I got a letter saying that I had been made compulsorily redundant, and today I received a date for my appeal, next Wednesday.
‘The letter said that I am not a good worker and don’t qualify for reinstatement. It is disgusting.
‘Last year I was off work for two weeks after an accident at work when a trolley went over my foot.
‘I had to write an accident report and the Doctor gave me two week’s convalescence.
‘That is what they are using against me.
‘They are saying that my attendance is poor.
‘How could the union sign up to such a selection procedure as the management is using against me?’
Sukhi added: ‘The company and the union have treated us very badly. The deal gives us nothing.’
He continued: ‘The union has received lots of money and only gives us £50 a week.
‘They don’t mention what they are doing with the money. It should all be distributed to us. We are really struggling.’
Mr TS Mato said: ‘When we went to the TUC in Brighton, we sat in the gallery and Tony Woodley and Brendan Barber, the TGWU and TUC leaders, said that everyone must support the Gate Gourmet workers.
‘We got a standing ovation from the whole audience, and there was a unanimous vote to give us 100 per cent support.
‘Then Barber and Woodley negotiated a deal with the company which no one is accepting.
‘So now we need the TUC to come to our help.’
Fellow TGWU member Hermohinder said the TUC ‘must put their promise into action.
‘They must honour their resolution. The agreement signed between the union and the company is completely unacceptable.
‘Anyway we rejected that offer six months ago.
‘Now we need action to take the struggle forward.’
