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Indian workers seek Blair's intervention

Hasan Suroor

Request for restoration of rights

LONDON: Prime Minister Tony Blair has been urged to order an inquiry into the employment practices of the catering firm Gate Gourmet over its dispute with hundreds of sacked Indian workers, mostly women from Punjab and Gujarat.

The workers, summarily dismissed two months ago for protesting against proposed redundancies, took their grievances to Downing Street on Tuesday after rejecting a compromise offer which, they said, was heavily loaded in favour of the management.

The firm, which supplies in-flight food to British Airways, insists that the dismissal of "surplus'' staff was justified and claims that it is offering the affected workers a fair compromise.

In a petition to Mr. Blair, the workers said: "We would urge you to conduct a public inquiry into the employment practices of the company... the world's largest supplies of in-flight meals.''

The petition was handed to the Prime Minister's office after a protest outside Downing Street. Workers, carrying placards, raised slogans demanding "justice''.

700 workers sacked

In their petition, they said that more than 700 workers had been sacked and the management was now offering a deal which "curtails our rights'.

"We request you to inquire into these erosions of our rights as employees,'' it said adding that the Government must repeal the "anti-union'' laws introduced by Margaret Thatcher's Government.

The workers said: "Many of us have supported the Labour Party for many years and believe that it should help us regain our basic rights which are enjoyed by workers in other European Union countries and endorsed by the International Labour Organisation.''

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