Gate Gourmet Dublin staff threaten to walk out

As talks to resolve the Gate Gourmet crisis at Heathrow collapsed last night, the trouble looks like spreading, with the company's workers at Dublin Airport also threatening to walk out.

Two hundred Gate Gourmet workers at Dublin's airport are poised to take strike action over proposed changes to working conditions and terms of employment.

Despite extensive talks between Gate Gourmet's management and workers' representatives Siptu, an agreement has not been reached and in June this year staff voted to strike. An independent assessor was recommended but neither side could agree on who it should be.

A Siptu representative said: "It looks like a similar situation here as at Heathrow. The same tactics are being employed. We believe there is a deliberate attempt by the company to frustrate the matter."

At Heathrow last night, Transport and General Workers Union general secretary Tony Woodley announced that talks with BA to reinstate the 670 sacked workers had been abandoned, raising fears that more industrial action may be on the cards.

If the situation cannot be resolved BA faces the prospect of Gate Gourmet being forced into almost immediate administration - leaving it without an in-flight meal supplier.

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