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Vestas wind turbine factory occupied!! Save jobs! Save the planet!

grogwilton said:
If campaigners that see a genuine struggle for employment by people in a area of high unemployment in a recession, get put off by some other lefties they have some petty difference with getting involved, then their perspective is way out of line and theyre not worth a piss.

And I include you in that Ann, if you really think the personal little chip on your shoulder with the SWP is more inportant then these workers trying to keep food on their families tables.

Your solidarity should be automatic and without conditions, whoever is involved, SWP or whoever.
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Well said.

In the North West, members of Respect, together with Green Left members of the Green Party, held a protest at the headquarters of Vestas on Saturday which attracted some media coverage in the region and helped to publicise the case among trade union and environmental activitists up here through some syndicated articles and printing of press releases.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8168608.stm

http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/4513784.Campaigners_stage_wind_company_protest/


http://www.gmrespect.org.uk/articles2009/vestas_250709.htm?p=4207

http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090727/FREE/907279993/1070

http://www.rocketnews.com/2009/07/protest-at-sit-in-wind-company-hq/
 
mutley said:
Ann your slight back pedal is welcomed.

I may well be wrong about whether anyone in the swp works there (or if any worker has joined).
But until someone provides evidence that the swp is causing a problem here, i'll regard this kind of stuff as mild red-baiting tbh.

Solidarity is what matters.
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:confused:

I haven't back pedalled at all. I haven't taken anything back.

I've simply agreed that it was perhaps off-topic and perhaps better discussed in a separate thread.
 
grogwilton said:
If campaigners that see a genuine struggle for employment by people in a area of high unemployment in a recession, get put off by some other lefties they have some petty difference with getting involved, then their perspective is way out of line and theyre not worth a piss.

And I include you in that Ann, if you really think the personal little chip on your shoulder with the SWP is more inportant then these workers trying to keep food on their families tables.

Your solidarity should be automatic and without conditions, whoever is involved, SWP or whoever.
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Now y'see you've already started: *that's* what pisses me off. Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't feel or express solidarity with. Don't preach at me.
 
AnnO'Neemus said:
Now y'see you've already started: *that's* what pisses me off. Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't feel or express solidarity with. Don't preach at me.
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Oh fuck off.

Either you support the Vestas workers or you don't. Don't come here talking about how you might support them but some of their other supporters "turn you off" and expect to be taken seriously.
 
Campaign against Climate Change




Save Vestas Rally



Tuesday 28th July , 6.30 pm



Outside the Department of Energy and Climate Change, No 3 Whitehall Place

(off Whitehall, Charing Cross tube)



Called jointly by the Campaign against Climate Change and the RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers)



On Wednesday 29th the case goes to court for Vestas to take out an injunction to evict the occupiers of the plant in Newport on the Isle of Wight.



Hence the need for a show of support Tuesday evening – there will also be a big demonstration outside the court on the Isle of Wight on Wednesday morning.



Just when we need a huge expansion in renewable energy they are closing down the only wind turbine factory in the UK. The government has spent billions bailing out the banks, and £2.3 billion in loan guarantees to support the UK car industry – they can and should step in to save the infrastructure we are really going to need to save us from climate catastrophe.





Minibus to the Isle of Wight this weekend (25th-26th)

We are still trying to organise this – or some other form of transport down to the Vestas plant on the isle of Wight this weekend. If interested please contact us – [email protected] or 02078339311 0r 07903316331



Messages of support to the Vestas campaign can be sent to [email protected]
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.
 
Been to the Vesta factory today. Spoke to the Unite members occupying inside. spirits are good . they have a radio. Food supplied by the company is okish. They have board games.
5 of the occupiers are unite members the rest arent in any union.

There was about 30 people outside the factory. mostly RMT members with a few Unite members. They were all in good spirits anticipating the court action tomorrow.

after I left one of the demonstrators contacted me to say they had been sacked in writing. I have a copy of the letter which I will post as soon as I know what Im doing with the PC.

Interestingly the company has said on the BBC 11 have been sacked. There are 25 in there so they must have a difficulty IDing the others
 
I have the letter now to post but it has the name of one of the members on it.
Christian name not surname.

If moderators think this is dodgy please remove.
 

Attachments

  • Vestas letter.jpg
    Vestas letter.jpg
    19.1 KB · Views: 75
from The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/28/vestas-government-grant-factory-closure
The government yesterday awarded Vestas Technology £6m but the cash will not stop the Danish turbine manufacturer from controversially shutting its Isle of Wight factory on Friday.
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ffs:mad:

Isie Of Weight County Press is saying 18 sacked
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/sitin-workers-sacked-with-dinner-27564.aspx
VESTAS workers occupying their doomed Newport factory got their marching orders along with their dinner tonight (Tuesday).
The 18 workers sitting in at the factory say they received dismissal letters along with the dinner of pizza, malt loaf and soft drinks, which the company provided.
One of the workers, Mark, said: "People are a bit upset but we are still looking at fighting Vestas all the way."
Vestas is due in the IW County Court tomorrow (Wednesday) in a legal bid to evict the protestors. A demonstration by workers is also expected outside the court.
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judge gives em more time and tells company off for trying to bend/go round rules

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/29/vestas-workers-eviction-court-wight

guardian said:
Papers were served last Thursday to Mark Smith, the one worker that the factory's Danish owners know for certain is occupying the factory.

In the court papers, Vestas named 13 individuals and "persons unknown" it believed had occupied the office space in the building. Three of those are now thought to have left.

However, Adam Rosenthal, representing Vestas, conceded the company could not be sure who else had barricaded themselves inside the property.

Urging the judge to use his discretion to fast-track the possession order, Rosenthal said "emotions are running high" at the factory and there was a real risk of disturbance. He said the police presence at the site was evidence of the risk of disorder.

Judge White dismissed that argument, saying: "I see no evidence of any threat of violence to property or person by reason of the individuals who are occupying the property remaining there."

The judge added he was "distinctly uncomfortable" with the way the company was seeking to bring proceedings, which he described as an attempt to "get around the rules".

"I am not satisfied that any named person other than Mark Smith has been personally served," he said.
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and the police never cause tension or disorder do they, noooooooooooo :rolleyes:
big up that judge
 
cleedup /edited version of Nightbreeds letter posted with permision

vestasedited.jpg
 
a brief update .. on monday supporters glued together blockaded the DTRE .. that night supporters in the Isle of Wight occupied the roof of another Vestas plant in East Cowes .. on Tuesday the court unsuprisingly granted possession to Vestas .. the news was greeted angrily by the 200 supporters at the court .. later Tuesday 4 of the occupiers left leaving 6 still inside and determined to carry ..

the campaign so far has been amazing in terms of the action of the small group of wrokers and the support of their workmates and the local community

http://savevestas.wordpress.com/
 
but i have to say, after spending a few days down there in support, there are a number of criticisms to be made (yet again, in disputes like this)

.. there is NO Vestas Support Group on the Island ( instead the various left factions are putting out their own separate material ) .. so there is no clear united single source door to door leafleting going on .. workers are not being drawn into activity by the RMT ( Unite are invisible!) .. there is no solid picketing schedule covering different gates and plants .. there are no set regular supporters open meetings either at the Newport plant or in Newport itself .. there are no joint worker/supporter meetings .. the RMT appear to many to be over controlling news management

very similar to the Visteon situation, and illustrating both how many people have lost the tools of how to fight disputes, the most important being regular open meetings of all involved, and also sadly of the control needs of the union bureaucracy
 
eviction has been called for 12 midday on friday - supportters are planning blockade to stop baliffs gaining entry .. Workers climate action are providing free transport meet 10.00 waterloo tonight ... would be a good victory if bailiffs were repulsed tomorrow
 
bbc reporting breaking news that 'occupation has ended as workers leave factory'
no actual story as yet
 
nightbreed said:
Touch of cynicism there?
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very much so .. the feeling on the ground ( and from some inside) was very much that RMT did not WANT the action to go any further .. ok a 'feeling' does not provide an explanation .. and the explanation can be anything between the suggestion RMT could not finance the dispute any more and the sad fact that a majority of workers were NOT involved (unlike at Visteon) and that there was a growing mood for those sacked workers to get what was on the table

btw i've been a shop steward for nearly 25 years for T&G, NUPE and Unison so i'm allowed a bit of cynicism ;) :) particularly with whats going on wioth Unison now
 
durruti02 said:
the sad fact that a majority of workers were NOT involved (unlike at Visteon) and that there was a growing mood for those sacked workers to get what was on the table
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which would better explain the reality than cheap shots about 'feelings' re the RMT
 
don't know how the daytime event in sheffield went, but the evening meeting was positive, 40 people (& not just the 'usual suspects') with a pretty good discussion, and at least £500 handed over. The bloke from Vesta was quite positive about possibilities for the future, tho was unsurprisingly vague about exactly what they were.
 
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