Support Visteon Factory Occupation in Enfield, London
KM | 02.04.2009 15:19 | Repression | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements | World
After the recent demos against meeting the G20 and the obvious failure this shindig will have in shoring up capital racked by crisis, it's good to make the connection between other people in struggle and the yesterdays struggle on the streets.
PDF of a leaflet issued in support of the occupiers is included. Please circulate by hand and by lists.
PDF of a leaflet issued in support of the occupiers is included. Please circulate by hand and by lists.
SHORT REPORT 2nd 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...
Mobile Phone inside the plant: 07799896466
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...
Mobile Phone inside the plant: 07799896466
KM
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Brilliant.
02.04.2009 19:11
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solidarity! this is where the fight is really happening
02.04.2009 20:06
wavy gravy
More on crisis and redundancy
02.04.2009 22:57
"Workers had been put on 1, 2, or 3 day shifts since November - led to believe such a sacrifice would help pull the company thru hard times - a now familiar story we shall hear more frequently as more workplaces move towards closure."
The leaflet goes onto to talk about possible strategies for workers fighting redundancy:
"It is only by resisting the day to day logic of capitalist “laws” that we will ever be in a strong enough position to put an end to the system itself. Unlike money, houses are not evaporating, but people are being evicted – this is one obvious area for organised resistance. Another is redundancies. Workers are being laid off with only the bare minimum pay-off required by law, and often being cheated of even that. We are not interested in “saving jobs” – let’s face it, there are some jobs that no one in their right mind would want to save! It’s not our problem if the company is no longer profitable, it’s just a question
of the balance of forces, of how much disruption we can cause – solidarity
strikes, occupations, blocking roads… We don’t care if it’s the boss, the state, or Gordon Brown’s sister-in-law who pays! We want money to live on. Even in a small company that goes bankrupt
it’s worth resisting (like the workers who recently occupied the packaging company in Dundee). Even the crappiest little company has valuable assets – grab them before the boss does!"
You can download the full leaflet here:
Another longer excellent text full of great combative examples of French workers fighting redundancies can be found here:
KM
Solidarity Demo - Saturday 11am
03.04.2009 13:15
Zig