This Tuesday, Unite union and the American based Visteon Corporation will negotiate the futures of the 600 sacked workers at Ford-Visteon sites at Belfast, Enfield and Basildon. The workers are saying they will not accept anything less than the redundancy and pensions they have been working towards for years- which were ripped up when Visteon UK went into administration and sacked them without warning nearly three weeks ago. They will need huge support on Tuesday, and before, to keep up pressure on both the Union and Visteon if they are to get anything more than a few pitiful crumbs.

The Enfield plant workers have also discovered that 17 workers who were not sacked when the rest were have been called back to work at the site at 6.30am Tuesday. Presumably this is to start moving parts or tools out of the plant to continue Ford-Visteon production elsewhere. The sacked Enfield workers need strong support from 6am to picket them out. A strong picket support presence would also put further pressure on the negotiations to achieve the outcome they need.

If the sacked workers have any chance of getting anything, they need practical support .Anyone who took part in the 1st of April Financial Fools Day demonstrations- or wished they did- should get involved.


ENFIELD PLANT TUESDAY 14th APRIL

Morson Road, Ponders End, EN3 4TN (5 mins from Ponders End Train station- trains from Liverpool St/Hackney Downs/ Tottenham Hale etc)

· The 17 returning to work will start shift at 6.30 a.m. so people are needed for support at 6a.m- check ‘One Trains’ for timetables to Ponders End

· If you can not make the site that early, support will also be needed on the Enfield picket from 10am, when sacked workers have to leave the plant to attend a job centre session for x-Visteon workers.

· Support will also be needed throughout the day, to show solidarity as the Union and Visteon negotiations take place. There will be music at the plant from The Thirst at 1pm- come down.

· More info about the Enfield situation to follow on Indymedia London so keep an eye on updates there.

UNION-VISTEON NEGOTIATIONS

The location of the negotiations on Tuesday ‘somewhere in the UK’ are currently unknown-. If the meeting takes place near you, go there to picket to put pressure on the negotiators and show that the sacked workers are not alone. Keep an eye for updates.

OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO BEFORE TUESDAY

· Better facilities are urgently needed at the Enfield plant to help maintain the 24 hour picket. If you can, take shelter, food etc: set up a climate camp at Visteon!

· Visit the plants at any time to show support and bolster the pickets.

· Print off and distribute leaflets - download from  http://libcom.org/tags/visteon-occupation

· Visteon have a number of offices and sites nationally-visit them to show Visteon the sacked workers are not alone:  http://vlocationdb.visteon.com/user/index.cgi?_action=search&region_id=3&country=46&search=s

· A support group for Enfield plant workers has been set up. Contact the support group here:  visteon_support@haringey.org.uk

· Stay informed about what is happening and inform others on your email lists etc- check www.visteonoccupation.org for updates and Visteon Enfield Twitter:  http://twitter.com/visteonworker

BACKGROUND

On 31st March, nearly 600 workers across three Ford- Visteon plants- in Belfast, Basildon in Essex ,and Enfield in North London- were simultaneously sacked without even last week’s wages as the company went into administration. Many had been working for Ford-Visteon for up to 40 years but were given only 6 minutes warning; despite managers planning the closures for months. They instantly lost the redundancy and pensions they had been slaving towards for most of their working lives. Now the x-workers face losing their homes- several already have repossession orders against them.

But the sacked workers’ response has been inspiring. The Belfast plant occupied immediately and they are still inside. Enfield followed the next day, occupying their factory on Financial Fools Day. Despite facing a series of legal threats, Enfield kept up the occupation for 9 days and are now keeping up the fight on 24 hour picket ( http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/427201.html; Basildon , also on 24 hour picket , went to their former boss’ home ( http://libcom.org/news/video-visteon-factory-occupation-workers-go-bosss-house-08042009 ) and have held demonstrations .All three plants hope to prevent Ford-Visteon removing tools, equipment or parts from the sites for continued production elsewhere. X workers and supporters across the plants have contacted UK Ford workers to try and black Visteon products ( http://libcom.org/library/visteon-support-leaflet-ford-workers). A leaflet has been produced aimed at American Ford-Visteon workers ( http://libcom.org/library/us-visteon-leaflet) and other leaflets have been translated into German, Turkish, French and Spanish to link up with others at the the global car manufacturers (download all the translated leaflets here:  http://libcom.org/tags/visteon-occupation.)

FORD-VISTEON

The three plants were all Ford up until 2000, when Ford created ‘Visteon’ as a ‘sub-company’ to cut costs - the “ supply arm of Ford Motor” as the Financial Times put it. When Visteon was set up, workers were guaranteed that their original Ford contracts would be continued; that they would have “lifetime protection” , with no compulsory redundancies and Ford terms and conditions for life, including the same pay rises, holidays, redundancy and pension deals as other Ford workers, in ‘mirror contracts’. Now Visteon UK is in administration, neither Ford nor Visteon are obliged to stick to any of this ; all that has been torn up.

Negotiations between the Unite union and Visteon are taking place with US-based Visteon Corporation because Visteon UK is a subsidiary of US Corporation. Visteon UK is in administration, owing £400 million to Visteon Corp, ie, to itself. KPMG , the company overseeing the closure as Visteon’s administrators, is one of the biggest accountancy companies in the world. They are tasked with the job of protecting Ford-Visteon motor giants’ profits at the expense of the sacked workers- usurping their redundancy pay-offs, pensions, homes and futures. This is the grim reality of the financial crisis so many demonstrated against on April 1st - get down to Visteon if you can.

PREVIOUSLY ON INDYMEDIA NEWSWIRE:
 http://london.indymedia.org.uk/articles/1102
Photos:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/427122.html;
Video-interviews with Enfield workers:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426713.html;
Pics from Enfield occupation:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426600.html;
Solidarity rally at Enfield:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426466.html;
More photos from Enfield:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426382.html;  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426303.html;  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426146.html;  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426002.html