Gate Gourmet and the T&G bring BA dispute to a close

Airline caterer Gate Gourmet and the T&G union have resolved their long-running dispute.

In a joint statement, they confirmed that a way forward had been found: "If the agreement is ratified, both sides have committed to working together to rebuild trust and confidence after all the difficulties of recent weeks."

Details of the deal, which was put to the vote at a T&G meeting yesterday, were still emerging as Caterer went to press.

A spokeswoman for the T&G said that Gate Gourmet had received about 670 voluntary redundancy letters - the number stipulated by the in-flight caterer to streamline its operation and continue its Heathrow contract with British Airways.

The major stumbling block throughout the talks had been Gate Gourmet's refusal to reinstate about 100 activists, which the caterer accused of causing unrest. It was still not known what agreement had been reached for this group of workers.