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August 26th, 2005, 07:03 PM
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FYI- interesting stuff...
Gate Gourmet moves toward resolution
By Kevin Done, Aerospace Correspondent
Published: August 25 2005 23:26 | Last updated: August 26 2005 13:58
Gate Gourmet, the catering supplier to British Airways, and the Transport and General Workers Union, took the first step on Thursday night towards a possible resolution of the bitter industrial conflict, that has threatened to close the group’s Heathrow operations.
Meanwhile, the case surrounding Gate Gourmet’s interim injunction against the TGWU and certain individuals returned to the High Court on Friday. After an amicable agreement was reached between the company and the union, the judge granted an extension to the court order restraining protests by dismissed workers until trial or a further court order.
Two weeks ago Gate Gourmet sacked 667 employees for taking part in an unlawful, unofficial strike as part of a long-running industrial dispute. The dismissals triggered an unofficial sympathy strike the next day by 1,000 workers at BA, which paralysed the airline’s flight operations at its global hub for more than 24 hours stranding 110,000 passengers around the world and costing BA around £40m.
Gate Gourmet said on Thursday night that it had reached a nonbinding agreement with the TGWU on the terms of a voluntary redundancy programme, that coud lead to the loss of up to 675 jobs or close to a third of the original workforce of more than 2,000 at Gate Gourmet London, the group’s Heathrow operation.
Crucially the company said that the redundancy programme, which will be launched “in the next few days,” would be available both “to those dismissed for their illegal strike actions,” as well as to the 1,400 remaining employees, who have continued to work during the dispute.
The “framework” agreement does not address the most contentious issue between the two sides, however, namely the union’s demand that all the sacked workers should be reinstated, and the company’s insistence that it would only rehire selectively and that it would certainly not reinstate any of “those who instigated and incited the walkout action” and who had subsequently“harassed and initimidated” the company’s remaining workforce.
This problem could be solved by the voluntary redundancy programme, but only if those seen by the company as the core of its “troublemakers” decide to accept the terms of the severance programme.
Brendan Gold, the TGWU national secretary for civil aviation, said the meeting on Thursday, held at the TUC, had been “constructive” and had made “initial progress towards resolving the problems” between the two sides.
Gate Gourmet said in its statement that the voluntary redundancy scheme could be followed by a compulsory scheme, if it was not able to shed sufficient jobs to make the group economically viable.
The Gate Gourmet Heathrow operation, which is British Airways’ sole catering supplier at the airport providing it with up to 80,000 meals a day, has been making mounting losses since 2001 with a further loss of £25m forecast for this year without drastic restructuring measures.
The company had previously agreed a deal in June with the union for redundancies on the same level as now proposed and aimed at cutting direct labour costs by £14m a year, but the scheme was rejected in a ballot of the workforce.
Gate Gourmet said that framework deal would “address its ongoing staffing needs in a way that is fair to all employees, adopt necessary work rule changes, and stem the losses that have put the company on the brink of administration.”
Separately the company has already won improved contract terms from BA, conditional on resolving the industrial dispute, which will extend its exclusive supply deal from 2008 to 2010 and increase its value from around £130m to £140m a year.
The conflict at Gate Gourmet involving a low-paid, predominantly Asian and female workforce, has become one of the most high-profile labour disputes in the UK since the 1980s.
On Friday the High Court is due to review the interim injunction won by Gate Gourmet last weekend, which limited the size of pickets at its factory gates and made the TGWU directly accountable for any harassment or intimidation of the company’s remaining workforce.
FYI- interesting stuff...
Gate Gourmet moves toward resolution
By Kevin Done, Aerospace Correspondent
Published: August 25 2005 23:26 | Last updated: August 26 2005 13:58
Gate Gourmet, the catering supplier to British Airways, and the Transport and General Workers Union, took the first step on Thursday night towards a possible resolution of the bitter industrial conflict, that has threatened to close the group’s Heathrow operations.
Meanwhile, the case surrounding Gate Gourmet’s interim injunction against the TGWU and certain individuals returned to the High Court on Friday. After an amicable agreement was reached between the company and the union, the judge granted an extension to the court order restraining protests by dismissed workers until trial or a further court order.
Two weeks ago Gate Gourmet sacked 667 employees for taking part in an unlawful, unofficial strike as part of a long-running industrial dispute. The dismissals triggered an unofficial sympathy strike the next day by 1,000 workers at BA, which paralysed the airline’s flight operations at its global hub for more than 24 hours stranding 110,000 passengers around the world and costing BA around £40m.
Gate Gourmet said on Thursday night that it had reached a nonbinding agreement with the TGWU on the terms of a voluntary redundancy programme, that coud lead to the loss of up to 675 jobs or close to a third of the original workforce of more than 2,000 at Gate Gourmet London, the group’s Heathrow operation.
Crucially the company said that the redundancy programme, which will be launched “in the next few days,” would be available both “to those dismissed for their illegal strike actions,” as well as to the 1,400 remaining employees, who have continued to work during the dispute.
The “framework” agreement does not address the most contentious issue between the two sides, however, namely the union’s demand that all the sacked workers should be reinstated, and the company’s insistence that it would only rehire selectively and that it would certainly not reinstate any of “those who instigated and incited the walkout action” and who had subsequently“harassed and initimidated” the company’s remaining workforce.
This problem could be solved by the voluntary redundancy programme, but only if those seen by the company as the core of its “troublemakers” decide to accept the terms of the severance programme.
Brendan Gold, the TGWU national secretary for civil aviation, said the meeting on Thursday, held at the TUC, had been “constructive” and had made “initial progress towards resolving the problems” between the two sides.
Gate Gourmet said in its statement that the voluntary redundancy scheme could be followed by a compulsory scheme, if it was not able to shed sufficient jobs to make the group economically viable.
The Gate Gourmet Heathrow operation, which is British Airways’ sole catering supplier at the airport providing it with up to 80,000 meals a day, has been making mounting losses since 2001 with a further loss of £25m forecast for this year without drastic restructuring measures.
The company had previously agreed a deal in June with the union for redundancies on the same level as now proposed and aimed at cutting direct labour costs by £14m a year, but the scheme was rejected in a ballot of the workforce.
Gate Gourmet said that framework deal would “address its ongoing staffing needs in a way that is fair to all employees, adopt necessary work rule changes, and stem the losses that have put the company on the brink of administration.”
Separately the company has already won improved contract terms from BA, conditional on resolving the industrial dispute, which will extend its exclusive supply deal from 2008 to 2010 and increase its value from around £130m to £140m a year.
The conflict at Gate Gourmet involving a low-paid, predominantly Asian and female workforce, has become one of the most high-profile labour disputes in the UK since the 1980s.
On Friday the High Court is due to review the interim injunction won by Gate Gourmet last weekend, which limited the size of pickets at its factory gates and made the TGWU directly accountable for any harassment or intimidation of the company’s remaining workforce.