The grudging acceptance by Gate Gourmet workers of the deal cobbled together between the T&G leadership and Gate Gourmet management looks likely to bring an end to this dispute.

This bad deal will involve 144 of the original workers sacked being made compulsorily redundant. At the time of voting, the workers were being asked to accept this deal without knowing who would be offered their jobs back and who will be made compulsorily redundant (there is a rumour that the union had said at the mass meeting that if the workers rejected the deal "they were on their own"). With this deal, management have achieved most of their objectives, in cutting the workforce and weakening the union.

Certainly the workers showed their willingness to struggle daily, turning up in their hundreds to the protests at Heathrow. The unofficial action of baggage handlers and other workers showed how this strike could have been won if this had been developed throughout Heathrow and how ineffective the anti-union laws are when met by determined mass resistance.

Right from the start, the sacked workers were not regularly involved in the decision making around the running of this dispute. There should have been an elected strike committee of the workers with regular mass meetings to allow the widest possible participation of those involved.

What this dispute critically underlines is the need for a fighting union leadership. Being sincere in wanting to defend workers is not enough. You have to have a clear strategy and the willingness to explain truthfully what is needed to win.

The T&G leadership, particularly Tony Woodley, failed to see that solidarity action was the key to this. Instead he allowed others to set the agenda when the union "repudiated" the marvellous spontaneous action of the baggage handlers.

The lessons of Gate Gourmet must be taken on board if future battles are to succeed.