the fight at gate gourmet
WORKERS, SEPT 2005 ISSUE
When workers at Gate Gourmet were faced with an ultimatum requiring them to sign a new contract they rejected it, rather than accept worsening conditions and cuts to their already low pay. Gate Gourmet catering assistants, who produce food for BA planes, earn around £12,000 annually, and drivers just below £16,000. The T&G workers' rejection set in motion a course of events that led to strike action, whereupon they were sacked and ground staff at Heathrow came out in sympathy (see Back to Front, p16).
What might have been a little-reported dispute came to national attention as all BA planes at Heathrow were grounded for 24 hours, affecting 100,000 passengers and leading to delays for several days.
Of course, this dispute has not emerged out of the blue. Over the years, union recruiters and organisers in the Gate Gourmet factories and among Heathrow Airport staff have worked to build a strong organisation. During negotiations about the catering company's financial crisis, the company unilaterally re-graded and then made 147 workers redundant. After seeing this the workforce rejected the company's proposed rescue plan by nine to one. Despite union opposition, the company then brought in 120 temporary staff. When the permanent workers walked out, they were sacked out of hand. Gate Gourmet informed them of this by megaphone, and sent out letters of notice to employees who were not working, including those who were off sick or on maternity leave, which is illegal. In further talks Gate Gourmet remains intransigent.
BA management, having chosen to outsource catering to Gate Gourmet in 1997, is pretending to distance itself from Gate's management, although BA likes union-busting tactics as well. BA has considered ending the contract with the US-owned company when it comes up for renewal in 2006, which of course would still cause the 800 staff to lose their jobs — call it the logic of capitalism. BA itself is not averse to sacking workers, having cut over 10,000 jobs in a restructuring plan over the past few years, and plans to sack 300 to 400 baggage handlers by 2008.
Some 1,000 BA ground staff at Heathrow bravely walked out in support of the Gate Gourmet workers, ignoring Thatcherite laws against secondary action. Messages and offers of support have been received from around the country and around the world. Tony Woodley of the T&G has argued that solidarity action should not be illegal and questioned why employment laws brought in by Thatcher should still be in place. It's obvious — because they suit Labour well. British union leaders may be cautious but the IUF, the international organisation for food workers' unions, has no misguided loyalty to Blair — it will be initiating international action against the Gate Gourmet.