After Belfast, British Visteon workers’ actions

This video from Ireland says about itself:

Sinn Féin MLA Jennifer McCann reacts to the news that the Visteon factory in west Belfast is to close. BBC NI Stormont Live 31/03/09.

From British daily The Morning Star:

Car factory protest spreads to Britain

Wednesday 01 April 2009

by Adrian Roberts

PROTESTS against job cuts at car parts firm Visteon spread on Wednesday when workers attempted to occupy more factories.

Scores of workers staged protests at factories in Basildon, Essex, and Enfield, north London, on Wednesday after a sit-in at another Visteon factory in Belfast on Tuesday night.

Workers are demanding action to save more than 560 jobs at the three plants, which are set to close after Visteon filed for bankruptcy.

Around 200 staff face the axe at the plant in west Belfast and 100 of the workers will stay at the site throughout Wednesday night.

They claimed the company’s former owner and main customer Ford had promised contracts which they now want to see honoured.

Union representatives asked workers to hold off on a threat to picket Ford showrooms until more information was available.

Visteon UK employed 173 staff at the Basildon plant, 227 in Enfield and 210 in Belfast.

The wider group has a 33,500-strong workforce and operations in 27 countries.

Workers gained entry to the factory at Enfield and occupied the site while scores of other employees demonstrated outside the factory in Basildon, according to sources.

Unite official Steve Hart said the announcement of job losses and site closures was a “body blow” to British manufacturing.

“Our members have taken direct action to support what is a productive plant at Enfield and we call on Visteon to reopen it and support British manufacturing,” he said.

Keith Flett of Haringey TUC backed the occupation of the former Ford factory in Enfield, saying: “Workers deserve better than just being sacked with no notice.”

Visteon’s bankruptcy filing follows reports at the weekend that Oxford-based car parts maker TI Automotive had breached its banking covenants and begun talks with its creditors about restructuring its debt.

See also here.

AROUND 140 workers occupying a Belfast factory that has been earmarked for closure vowed on Wednesday to continue their protest until bosses stump up decent redundancy packages: here.

BOMBARDIER bosses told workers at aircraft factories across Northern Ireland on Thursday that 975 jobs are to go, on the same day that the corporation won an order worth £173 million: here.