Compensation offered to airline caterer workers

GATE GOURMET, the caterer at the centre of a two-day strike that grounded 700 British Airways flights, said it offered sacked and current employees compensation as part of a plan to reduce its workforce.

The 670 workers who were fired on August 10 after going on strike and Gate Gourmet’s existing 1,400 employees were offered two weeks’ pay for every year of service, the company said in an e-mailed statement. The caterer, which needs to cut jobs to reduce costs, said compulsory dismissals may follow.

“This programme enables us to provide for an enhanced compensation package,” said managing director of the caterer in London Eric Born.