Sacked shop stewards in hunger strike protest
TWO sacked airport shop stewards one a 72-year-old are planning to go on hunger strike from today.
Madan Gupta and Gordon McNeill, 38, and say they will continue their protest until their union Unite honours commitments they say were made to them last summer.
According to the men, this involved promises in relation to a 200,000 legal bill incurred after the pair became embroiled in a court battle with airport security company ICTS over their dismissal.
The hunger strikers plan to start their protest outside Transport House in Belfast. The men say a similar protest, combined with a rooftop demonstration at the same venue in September, was called off after the union agreed their demands would be met within seven days.
However, with no change in their situation, Mr McNeill and Mr Gupta are resuming their protest this morning. Mr McNeill said: "Not one of the promises they made have been kept. We have been left to pay half of our 200,000 legal bill, an impossible amount for low paid workers who found themselves out of work because we were betrayed by our union."
He went on: "We also want a public inquiry set up to examine the union's handling of this dispute from day one until now." Mr McNeill said that he and Mr Gupta were not entering into their protest lightly.
"Madan Gupta is 72 years old and suffers from diabetes," he said. "I am 38, but in poor health with a heart condition. We know the consequences of starting what this time is likely to be a protracted hunger strike but we are absolutely determined to face the consequences."
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Weather for Belfast
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
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Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 7 C
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