Global Capitalism Requires Global Resistance - Call for Solidarity
Action on the 17th of December at all Gate Gourmet Locations World-Wide

Since the 7th of October more than 70 workers of the company Gate
Gourmet at Düsseldorf Airport / Germany have been on strike. Gate
Gourmet is the second biggest catering company within the aviation
sector world-wide. The company has branches all over the globe (see:
 http://www.gategourmet.com/797/798/835.asp)

In August an impressive strike took place at the airport in Heathrow,
London. Gate Gourmet tried to enforce a worsening of working
conditions. When the Gate Gourmet workers gathered in an assembly,
the management locked them in order to make them sign the new
contracts. Despite the pressure the workers refused to sign. The
management reacted by sacking them all, all 670 workers. They didn't
have a clue of what would happen next: the ground staff of British
Airlines went on solidarity strike and thereby paralysed the whole
airport. The two days of strikes caused a total caos: British Airways
had to cancel all flights; tens of thousands of passengers were trapped in
the airport. This strong (solidarity) strike action got a lot of attention
of unionists and the left. Workers of a sector where casualised working
condition are prevant walked out and developed an unexpected power.

Unfortunately we are still a long way away from that kind of situation
here in Germany. It seems like Gate Gourmet attacks their workers in a
similar style in all branches, but so far the workers at Düsseldorf
Airport are the only ones who are fighting back.

Officially the strike is about the collective contract. Since Gate
Gourmet bought the company three years ago there haven’t been any wage
increases. Now the management even wants to increase the weekly
working hours from 38.5 to 40 hours; slash five of the thirty annual
holiday days; reduce the extra money for night shifts, sundays and bank
holidays; and demand an even more flexible working time.

If it was only about the small wage raise which the workers demand, the
strike wouldn’t make sense. The workers lost already more money due to
the strike than they are able to win. They emphasise that it is not
only about more money. They talk about the working conditions, which
deteriorated since Gate Gourmet took over, the increasing work
pressure, the unbearable atmosphere. The bosses showed no respect at all but
demanded an ever higher work pace. The banner in front of the picket-
tent of the striker says only one word: ‘Dignity’. The workers know: if
they will loose this conflict they will have to put up with whatever
pressure and humiliation the management subjects them to.

On the other side the company has to pay a high price for its
uncompromising attitude towards the strikers. Everyday they pay loads
of money for scabs and security messures such as guards and fences.
For Gate Gourmet it would be cheaper to accept the demanded wage
increase. Obviuosly to the company it is more important to beat these
daring workers who had the guts to fight back, whatever it costs. Only
if the company wins this struggle will it be able to enforce the new
conditions in other branches, that’s what we have to prevent...

The workers in struggle are determined and standing together. The staff
is international, more than half of them weren’t born in Germany, more
than a third are women. The majority have worked for the company for a
long time, some of them since the beginning, sixteen years ago. They
know each other well and since being on the picket-line together even
better. There is lots of solidarity between them, but they remain
isolated.

Other branches send solidarity messages, but the workers there keep on
working, or even worse, some branches send scabs or packed food in
order to substitute the food lost due to the strike. In addition to
that the company hires temp workers for the effected Düsseldorf branch.
In that way Gate Gourmet more or less succeeds in supplying the
aeroplanes and in satisfying the clients. At one point the strikers
tried to block the lorries which drive to the runways, a difficult action: given
that they are on the premises of the airport, a ‘sensitive area’, the police
shows up immediately. On the 18th of November a group of 70 people
managed to block the gates for an hour. A good action which raised the
spirits, but too little if you want to beat a multinational...

After Gate Gourmet ignored the strike for weeks there have now been
negotiations at the beginning of December. On the 7th of December the
union and company representatives came to an agreement. It was
possible to exclude the company demands to increase the working hours
and to reduce holidays, but a lot of the strikers thought that the
agreement didn’t provide enough actual improvements of the working
conditions. Before the workers were able to vote whether to accept the
agreement or not, the companies European head-quarter renounced the
agreement, less than 24 hours later. Now the workers are even more
dedicated to keep on striking. Even the amongst the scabs there was
discontent, given that they had hoped that an agreement would have
finished the conflict.

In order to support the comrades of gate Gourmet in Düsseldorf we call
for an international day of action on Saturday the 17th of December.
Check the Gate Gourmet web-site for the nearest branch in your area or
inform passengers in the airport terminals about the situation...

 koeln@wildcat-www.de