Gate Gourmet sell-out
Socialist Resistance online2000sThe publication's own web text.
Predictable sell-out at Gate Gourmet Alan Thornett The victimised Gate Gourmet workers have been stitched up and hung out to
dry by their union the TGWU. Whilst Tony Woodley was praising the tremendous solidarity they has displayed throughout the dispute he was preparing to recommend a settlement which involved a third of the strikers, including the trade union activists, being permanently sacked.
If anyone thinks 'stitched up' is to strong a term just look at the terms of
the deal which had been accepted by the TGWU officials, for recommendation to the victimised workers, two days earlier and brokered by TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber.
Under the deal accepted by the overwhelming majority at a mass meeting on
the recommendation of the union 397 of the sacked workers will be given the
option of reemployment or accepting compensation. There are another 172
sacked workers who have already said that they did not want reemployment and would accept compensation.
This leaves another 144 victimised workers who will be made compulsory
redundant according to so-called "object and measurable criteria". This
criteria will include their disciplinary and absenteeism records as well an
anything else the managers can dredge up.
This list includes all of those who the management has repeatedly said it
would not reply, including the key trade union activists.
Moreover the rehiring of the 397 can only take place once the 144 being
permanently sacked workers sign statements to the effect that they will not
launch unfair dismissal claims against Gate Gourmet. If any refuse to sign
the reemployment of the 397 could be delayed until mid December when this
Tony Woodley said of the settlement: "This had been a bitter and historic
dispute with innocent workers victimised, which must lead to changes in the
law. I am pleased, however, that our shop stewards and members have accepted a settlement that will see the great majority of our members go back to work or take voluntary settlement".
All very fine but meantime the trade union organisation at Gate Gourmet has
been broken in the process - since a union which cannot defend its activists
and representatives is a union which is powerless in front of management.
True Tony Woodley got a resolution through LP conference for the restoration of a form of secondary action which would have allowed other worker at the airport to take legal action in defence of Gate Gourmet workers - but without action to back this resolution it will simply be thrown in the bin by new Labour. In fact it was publicly thrown in the bin by new Labour even before it was voted on the by conference.
And what does backing the resolution up mean? It mean three things in this
Firstly it means pull out all the stops to support a section of workers when
they are victimised under the anti-union laws - not starting to discuss
compromises with management before the dispute has hardly got off the
ground - which happened in this dispute.
Secondly it means actually confronting the anti-union and not complying with
them, again which is what happened in this case. So-called protecting the
fabric of the union does not in the end protect the fabric of the union.
Thirdly it means withdrawing political support for new Labour - not backing
them to the hilt every time an election comes around and bank-rolling their
campaign. Defeating the anti-union laws and building a political alternative
to new Labour are two sides of the same coin
New Labour can stand the occasional opposition resolution going through
conference on the back of the trade union block vote. What they could not
stand is the major trade unions actively looking for and building a
political alternative the big business based politics they represent