According to the Financial Times on 24 September, a "new deal to resolve Heathrow catering dispute" is imminent between the TGWU and Gate Gourmet. But it falls very far short of winning back the locked-out workers' jobs.

The FT reports: "It is understood that 382 of the dismissed workers have volunteered to take a compensation payment, equivalent to a voluntary redundancy settlement.

"A further 137 dismissed workers meet the performance criteria agreed by the company and the union for compulsory redundancy" (emphasis added).

Meanwhile, BA has sacked three TGWU activists who were involved in the baggage handlers' strike in August in solidarity with the Gate Gourmet workers.

The TGWU should obviously organise industrial action both to save the activists' jobs and simultaneously - in effect, but legally - as solidarity with Gate Gourmet.

The TGWU official responsible has told us that the TGWU will go for industrial action if the sackings are upheld in the further stages of BA company procedure yet to be completed.

But the union should be ballotting now.

All the talk by the union leaders about organising the unorganised becomes a hollow mockery if the TGWU officials are not willing to mobilise to defend their members in Gate Gourmet and BA.