As usual the media coverage was the one sided affair about how people were inconvenienced with little background information being given as to why so many airport workers took this step of incredible solidarity for another group of workers.

These workers took this action in response to the utterly depraved actions of a Texas based catering company:

quote:

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Union members across the globe have joined an international appeal for solidarity to assist the Gate Gourmet workers at Heathrow Airport in the UK.

Gate Gourmet workers at Heathrow airport meet

About 800 catering workers were sacked last week, in an extraordinary display of corporate bullying.

But their supporters across the globe have reacted by flooding Gate Gourmet with more than 5000 e-mail protest messages.

Add your voice to the world-wide protests
No Respect: Sacked by megaphone
On Wednesday, August 10, the workers - mainly middle-aged immigrant women - were sacked by the airline caterer in a dispute provoked by the company, according to several media reports.
These low-paid workers were deliberately humiliated, shown little respect and provoked by the US-owned catering firm.

What was management's response to worker anger over the hiring of 160 casual labourers?

The Gate Gourmet bosses walked into a car park where the workers were meeting and told the permanent workforce, through a megaphone, they were all sacked.

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check out the Australian based LMHU's excellent recap of this disgrace:

Gate Gourmet workers at heathrow need our help

Most importantly please take action now by sending an e-mail of solidarity with these workers through labourstart:

ACT NOW!

quote:

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Heathrow caterer talks break up

Talks between the T&G union and Heathrow-based caterers Gate Gourmet have been put on hold until Wednesday after breaking up amid acrimony.

T&G chief negotiator Brendan Gold initially accused the firm of leaving talks about the sacking of 670 workers.

But the company denied that, saying it was "cautiously optimistic" of a deal and would return to talks on Wednesday.

It said a move to place the company, which supplies British Airways, into administration would be put on hold.

New deal

Gate Gourmet has refused to take back all the workers it dismissed two weeks ago.

After 18 hours of talks over two days, the union said a sticking point remained over the reinstatement of sacked workers.

A new catering deal with British Airways was struck earlier on Tuesday, but it is dependent on labour issues being resolved.

Gate's new contract was reported to involve a two-year extension to its contract to supply food to the airline at a better price until 2010.

The airline is prepared to sign the deal as soon as Gate Gourmet and the T&G reach a satisfactory agreement
BA statement

Gate Gourmet had warned it faced going into administration in the UK unless it got a better contract from BA and set an original deadline of 1700 BST on Tuesday for reaching an improved deal.

The TUC helped to bring the two sides together. As talks were adjourned there on Tuesday evening, Mr Gold accused managers of walking out.

"I'm very disappointed and disgusted at the way things have been concluded this evening," he said.

"The main issue is the reinstatement of all our members."

However, the union later told the BBC it would rejoin talks on Wednesday.

'Real hard-liners'

But Gate chairman David Siegel said he was optimistic an agreement over sacked staff could be reached and negotiations had been "productive".

He insisted the company would not reinstate all the workers, despite it being one of the key T&G demands.

"We have some real hard-liners who instigated the action," he said, adding that Gate did not want to "sell out" the 1,400 employees at Heathrow.

Mr Siegel praised the TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

"We made substantial progress to finding a solution, unfortunately we didn't get there yet," he said.

The dispute broke out 12 days ago when Gate Gourmet sacked 670 staff after they illegally walked out in protest at its restructuring plans.

A day later BA ground staff at Heathrow walked out in sympathy, forcing the airline to shut down operations at the airport - resulting in the loss of £30m as it cancelled 700 flights.

Gate Gourmet director Andy Cook has said a new deal with BA had been vital to the firm's survival, as it is losing £25m a year.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/4175316.stm

Published: 2005/08/23 21:40:09 GMT

© BBC MMV

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