Local Activists Supports Vestas Workers in their bid to save Jobs & Planet

Photos from Thursday 17th September - National Day of Action in Solidarity with Vestas Workers
see: savevestas.wordpress.com for more information, photos, etc.

Having taken up the offer to attend 'Vestival' as an alternative event when the Big Green Gathering was cancelled earlier this summer, local activist George Hill has been regularly visiting the Isle of Wight to support the campaign there to save 600 jobs and contribute to the effort to save the planet by keeping open the only significant factory producing wind turbine blades in the UK.

Attending during the past week, George joined in the recently established 'Blade Blockade' - climbing a 20 foot scaffold pole tripod to prevent 9 blades (3 turbines or £750,000 worth) from leaving the factory, to be taken to America via Southampton. This is a key piece of leverage the workers have to negotiate with the company and the Government.

11 workers were fired by the company for Occupying it in a effort to save their jobs. One of the workers has become homeless, and he and others are now living with activists at one of two camps outside the factory. They have continued to take direct action - earlier this week one occupied the crane that loads the blades onto boats bound for the USA, while others received a standing ovation during Ed Miliband's speech to the TUC when the unfurled a banned proclaiming 'Nationalise Vestas Now!'

To 'reinstate' these 11 workers and pay them the same redundancy package paid to the other workers who lost their jobs in August would cost Vestas a mere £45,000. Meanwhile, the campaign has discovered that the company planned to pay Manager Paddy Weir a special £70,000 bonus for ensuring a 'clean closure' of the factory. Despite efforts to deliver the chque personally, activists believe Vestas are unlikely to be paying Mr Weir this money, and therefore know that Vestas can easily afford Reinstatement.

However, Vestas are a greedy multinational with little concern for their workers - the 11 workers were fired by a note delivered in a Pizza box, after days of a "starve them out" policy originally pursued by the company in response to the occupation . The redundancy packages are generally small, and many workers were not yet eligible for them having worked for the company for less that 18 months.

We at the Blockade and 'Magic Roundabout' camp at the factory entrance are campaigning for three things:

1. Reinstatement of the sacked workers and an improved Redundancy package for all Vestas workers
2. Keep the Blades built in the UK in the UK - install them here. Keep the St Cross business park factory open - through Nationalisation if necessary.
3. The Government must produce a detailed and realistic Energy Strategy centered around Renewable Energy built in the UK.

George said: "The Vestas workers are Heroes for standing up for their rights as workers, and for standing up for the environment. But they are just ordinary people who did what they felt was right. We all need to follow their example if we are going to see a sustainable and beautiful future for ourselves and the next generation. We can't rely on politicians - particularly the withering Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Peter Mandelson - to go beyond hot air and actually do something about Climate Change - we need to get on with it ourselves. We need Wind Turbines in the UK, and it makes economic and environmental sense to produce them in the UK. I hope we can see Blades built on the Isle of Wight installed by Ecotricity in the Severn Vale, and I hope Stroudies will support the Vestas campaign and visit the camp. Look up Save Vestas on the internet."