Victory to the Visteon workers!

by Darren C Thu Apr 09, 2009 22:36

Over 200 car components manufacturing workers reluctantly left the Visteon factory in Enfield, Middlesex this morning on the advice of their union, Unite, reports Jeremy Dewar. Several hundred supporters greeted them as they emerged down the fire escape stairs with choruses of, “The workers, united, will never be defeated!” and “Sack the bosses, not the workers!”

More - http://www.workerspower.com/index.php?id=47,1941,0,0,1,0

by photos Wed Apr 08, 2009 13:10

Can this article not be made into a feture? I'm really surprised at the lack of coverage this is getting on indymedia.

by creature Thu Apr 02, 2009 13:57

Support Visteon Factory Occupation in London
http://london.indymedia.org.uk/articles/995

Support Visteon Factory Occupation in London, Enfield

Short Report, 2nd of April 2009

After car parts manufacturer Visteon announced job cuts workers occupied plants in Belfast, Basildon and Enfiled. In Enfield about 70 workers - men and women from all kinds of backgrounds - are still inside the plant and on the roof. Last Tuesday the management called for a general assembly and told people that they would have to leave their workplace immediately. They were told to fetch their personal belongings the next day at 10 am. When people turned up the factory was already closed. Workers entered through an unlocked side entrance and occupied the plant.

The security guards won't let people go inside, they also blocked the fire exists with padlocks - which is clearly illegal. Last night, Thursday 1st of April, two bailiffs entered the plant. They issued an eviction order, supported by five cops. The eviction order was flawed, e.g. it was not signed and it had the wrong address on it. Workers expect a proper eviction order for tomorrow, Friday, 3rd of April. In case of eviction workers plan to picket the plant. they also plan to go to Ford Dagenham for a solidarity picket.

The plant manufactured parts for various car companies, for example Land Rover, Jaguar, Madzda, Renault, Ford. In 1991 there were still 1,100 people employed, this number came down to 250. Workers guess that Ford Southampton, the main 'client', piled up stock lasting several weeks - Ford Southampton announced redundancies and will eventually shift production of the Transit to Turkey. Links of solidarity between Enfield and Southampton is the most pressing.

People have the most basic stuff inside, sleeping backs, some food etc., contributions are welcome, ex-Visteon workers and neighbours from Enfield drop by with food. Unfortunately the G20 hype has pushed the occupation into the public back-ground. The occupations are the first 'offensive' collective reactions to the crisis, we should support them - particularly given the pending threat of eviction. So spread the word and come up to Enfield:

Meeting point: Friday, 3rd of April and Saturday, 4th of April at 10 am at Ponders End Railway Station

(the plant is 5 in walk, cross the foot-bridge, walk down main road towards Central London, the next street to the left is Morson Road, the factory situated at the end)

Bring along: friends, banners, food, music...

Flyer for Visteon Factory Occupation
http://london.indymedia.org.uk/events/998

by creaturefeature Thu Apr 02, 2009 13:53

What's the e-mail address for getting something made into a feature? I think there's enough here to be combined into a feature, there's the audio interview, just need a photo.

"For immediate and urgent release
Support Visteon workers!
200 Visteon car plant workers in Belfast are blockading their factory
after the Company went into administration today. If they get away with
it, over 600 workers in ex-Ford factories in Belfast, Enfield and Basildon
will be sacked and left to claim statutory redundancy form the state. Even
workers with over 30 years service will only get about 9 grand and most
workers a lot less. Also, their pensions plus those of ex-Visteon workers
in Swansea and retirees will go into the Pension Protection Fund, which
will result in reduced payments. This is the brutal side of capitalism -
no bailouts or bonuses like the bankrupt fat cats but bare minimum pay
outs and the dole. Visteon UK executives have jumped ship are now employed
by their own spin-off 'Visteon Engineering Services'. A life raft for rats
escaping the sinking ship!
Visteon was spun-off by Ford in 2000 as a device to slash costs at the
expense of the workforce. Two and then three-tier contracts then followed
as well as outsourcing of 'indirect' jobs. However, for Visteon bosses
this wasn't enough. They've spent the last 3 1/2 years demanding that
Visteon workers break their Ford 'mirrored' contracts. No doubt there will
be some in the unions who will agree with management that if only the
workforce had agreed cuts in their pay, pensions, terms & conditions,
insolvency could have been avoided. The reality is however, that Visteon
like General Motors' spin-off Delphi was never viable. Visteon workers
were correct to resist and have had at least more income by doing so. It
was that successful battle that has given the Belfast workers the
confidence to resist now.
These workers want to put pressure on Ford to intervene to stop the
sackings. They are appealing to the unions in Ford to support them by not
using parts shipped in to replace those from Belfast. If that fails, the
occupation can be built to involve the trade union movement and
working-class community to force the government to intervene to
nationalise Visteon to save these jobs.
Messages of support / offers of help to John Maguire Belfast Unite
Convenor - 07816590380"

by Darren C Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:43

I haven't been able to visit the occupations in Belfast or Enfield because I'm rooted in Dublin working.

The workers have released an appeal sheet asking for contributions to help them sustain their occupations and campaign which you can download here: http://tinyurl.com/clq7fg

And here is the model text for trade union motions of support:

We support the occupations by Visteon workers in Belfast and Enfield against the summary closure of their factories without notice, without proper redundancy pay, and without pension security.
We support their demand that Ford - the huge global corporation which is Visteon's main customer, and from which Visteon was spun off - intervene to stop the closures.
We urge the whole trade union movement to give maximum support to these occupations in whatever ways are requested by the workers.
We believe that these occupations, like those at Republic Windows in Chicago, USA, and Prisme Packaging in Dundee, show the best way for the working class to resist mass job cuts and closures and to demand that industries be taken into public ownership under workers' control, with reconversion to alternative products where appropriate.

Please send to:
stevehart@unitetheunion.com (for Enfield)
dmcmurray@unitetheunion.com (for Belfast)

Also contact: John Maguire at 07816 590380 (Belfast).

by Eddie Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:12

Darren when you visited the workers at the Visteon plant what did they say what they would like people to do to support them?