Is the dispute between Gate Gourmet and unions continuing?
Yes. The two sides failed to find a solution to the dispute over the weekend but resumed talks on Monday. At the heart of the dispute is catering firm Gate Gourmet’s decision to sack 670 staff following an unofficial strike over the company’s restructuring plans. This led to a shortage of catering supplies on BA flights and hundreds of BA baggage handlers, ground staff and loaders – represented by the Transport and General Workers’ Union – then went on unofficial strike in sympathy. Gate Gourmet says it is losing money and needs to overhaul its business in order to survive. Unions argue that the firm’s management provoked the dispute. According to the BBC’s Stephen Cape, Gate Gourmet may be prepared to reinstate about half of the sacked workers but is not willing to re-employ those it considers to be “troublemakers”. The Transport & General Workers Union says this is unacceptable and wants the company to reinstate all the affected workers. Q: Is a repeat of last week’s strike likely? B
