‘WE’RE here to meet the general secretary Tony Woodley regarding the mis-handling of the dispute with an anti-union employer, ICTS UK,’ sacked Belfast International Airport (Transport and General Workers’ Union) TGWU shop steward Gordon McNeill told News Line yesterday.
He was speaking outside the TGWU head office in London where he had arrived with two of the other three sacked stewards, Madan Gupta and Chris Bowyer.
On Monday the four sacked shop stewards had warned that unless the TGWU agreed to pay the £200,000 costs that they had incurred in winning their unfair dismissal case, after the union had refused to take it forward, they would go on hunger strike outside the Holborn head office.
McNeill added to News Line yesterday: ‘That ICTS is anti-union was confirmed by the industrial tribunals of Northern Ireland. The tribunal found, for the first time ever, that dismissal for political opinions as trades unionists, and for being a member of a trade union, is illegal under discrimination law. We now, therefore, have a battle with our union because we had to fund and fight the legal case ourselves without union backing.’
Fellow sacked steward Christopher Bowyer said: ‘We’re here for constructive talks. We hope we get a satisfactory result – for ourselves and for our members back home.’
Twenty-two security staff sacked from Belfast International Airport more than three years ago have been awarded almost £600,000 in compensation. An industrial tribunal found the staff had been unfairly dismissed after they went on strike in a row over pay with their employer ICTS.
The tribunal also ruled four shop stewards had been unlawfully discriminated against.
McNeill said the tribunal was a ‘victory for all trade unions’. He said: ‘Our case sets two important legal precedents which strengthen the hand of all trade unionists. The tribunal decisions in our case now establish that shop stewards can legally resume suspended strikes with no legal requirement to give any notice to employers and that any shop steward who is victimised or sacked can claim political discrimination, rather than just unfair dismissal.’
McNeill added: ‘We have had a battle for five years, we need answers to questions from our union as to why we were told effectively this case could not be run. We have had to fund this (case) ourselves privately. It has cost over £200,000.’