Re: Unite (then TGWU) and Gate Gourmet, this press article from September 2006 explains a lot:
£600,000 for shop stewards fired over Gate Gourmet strike | Business | The Guardian
Two former shop stewards who brought British Airways operations from Heathrow to a halt for two days last summer in a wildcat strike are to receive secret "hush money" payments worth £600,000 from the Transport & General Workers' Union and the airline.
The shop stewards, Pat Breslin and Mark Fisher, were alleged to be following union orders by organising the illegal action as part of the T&G's high-profile campaign against Gate Gourmet, the airline's main supplier of in-flight meals.
The dispute ran for weeks and became a cause celebre for trade unionists demanding better pay and conditions for the poorest workers.
The T&G workers went on strike after Gate Gourmet announced plans to sack 667 staff members because BA had cut back on its catering contract. The illegal action brought BA's baggage handling to a halt, costing the airline £42m.
The dispute ended in compromise with workers getting enhanced redundancy payments. Workers from Gate Gourmet were feted at last year's TUC conference, addressing the T&G's annual dinner.
Mr Breslin and Mr Fisher were also sacked, although BA subsequently offered Mr Breslin 1p compensation and Mr Fisher £90,000. The action put both men at risk of being sued by the airline.
The union could also have been sued for the cost of the strike if BA could prove any involvement of its officials in urging the baggage handlers to strike.
The sacked men, who are barred from talking to the press, received legal advice saying that they could sue the T&G for negligence for ordering them to take the illegal action. They could also sue the union for breach of contract, harassment and claim for psychiatric or other injury as a result of losing their jobs.
A deal was struck between the men and the union last week, guaranteeing them a total payout worth £600,000 in return for signing a confidentiality agreement keeping the sum secret. They and their wives have also pledged to keep the details surrounding the dispute secret.
A copy of the agreement, seen by the Guardian, says both of them "will make no statement in relation to his involvement in or knowledge of any meeting of trade union representatives, relating to the events which occurred in relation to BA in 2005 and which caused his dismissal from employment at BA, without receiving in advance the written consent of the general secretary of the union, approving the terms of the statement to be made".
They are barred from disclosing any details of the union's handling of the Gate Gourmet dispute without the general secretary's written approval. They have also agreed to forgo using the union's grievance procedures, including putting a complaint to the certification officer who adjudicates on breaches of union rules.
Mr Breslin will receive £300,000 and Mr Fisher will get £176,000 and a job with the union paid at £50,000 a year. This includes the £90,000 from BA, split between them. The national executive of the union will be told of the deal today.