August 12, 2005
A sea of brown closes Heathrow downNews
From fliping through the AP pool photographs of the British Airways catering employees strike (which just ended), you’d think that it was the Salt March or something. What gives? And talk about girl power. Yahoo News reports (thanks to several tipsters):
BA baggage handlers and loaders represented by the same union as the catering staff — the Transport and General Workers Union — stopped work in sympathy with their colleagues.
Some Gate Gourmet staff were astounded at the scale of disruption.
“I didn’t expect the BA staff to join us, but we are very happy about it,” said Gary Mullins, 37, a loader for the company.
“We don’t wish to cause them any more (aggravation) than we have to,” he said of the passengers. “But it’s something that has to be done.”
Wait a minute. From that sea of brown they picked a guy named “Gary Mullins” to get a quote from? CNN International has more:
The Transport and General Workers Union [TGWU] said it went on strike because Gate Gourmet, a firm that caters meals for British Airways, had fired workers.Tony Woodley, TGWU’s general secretary, issued a statement Thursday saying he had contacted Gate Gourmet in an effort to reinstate workers and “restart talks without prejudice.”
“Unfortunately, the management of Gate Gourmet has responded intransigently. They are preventing employees reporting for work. This is causing chaos at one of the world’s biggest airports at the busiest time of year,” the statement said.
“The company has told us that ‘this is a community we cannot work with.’ The employees concerned are almost all low-paid, Asian workers, and such an approach is utterly unacceptable.”
The union’s national officer, Brendan Gold, told PA he was continuing to seek legal advice over the “sackings,” which he added had left workers feeling “angry, confused and in a state of shock.”
Great. Now even more people will be pissed off at Britain’s South Asian population. 
abhi on August 12, 2005 03:32 PM in News · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
¤ Half the Sins of Mankind said: Browning the New York Times
At the airport in Toronto too, the workforce is predominantly Sikh, why is that?
Once hartal, always hartal.
Toronto my love
held to your chest warm
I am ever home.
If Toronto was by the Mexican border, those wouldn't be Sikhs working there.
I hate to sound racist, but it's true.
I have noticed that brown people love to work at airports! Guaranteed its more evident in the UK, but JFK is not far behind! DO they get a discount or something?
DO they get a discount or something?
Yes, several of my relatives work for an airline as a second job. When you work for an airline you get free tickets for you, and buddy passes for your family. That comes in handy when you want to frequently visit the subcontinent.
I took many free flights to California because of a connection with someone who worked for an airline. I hope Sikhs continue working at airports forever =)
If Toronto was by the Mexican border, those wouldn't be Sikhs working there.
Houston isn't far from the mexican border, but there are still a lot of desis working at George Bush Airport. Something about airports attracts brown people.
The reason there are so many Sikhs working at Heathrow Airport is because Heathrow is located in West London, which has a huge South Asian population (especially Indian Sikhs). Maybe it was just easy for them to get jobs there, especially so close to their homes.
Some people have joked that the logic is actually the reverse, ie. West London has a huge South Asian population because they got off the plane and didn't bother looking further than the immediate surrounding area to find homes *wry grin*.
Very lively place to live though....Southall, Hounslow....er..."West-side" (*awkward gangsta scowl with a well-spoken British accent*)
Kind regards,
Jai,
London
