Wildcat Walkout in Ellesmere Port!

The mini strike took place without a vote amongst the company’s workers, who supply parts to Vauxhall. The workers are angry at plans to cut 240 jobs at TDS, and bravely took matters into their own hands. Their union - the Trade and General Workers Union - said they did not support the walkout, and claimed that their main priority was getting staff back to work.

As usual, the union officials seem to have abandoned the workers who elect them and are instead supporting the bosses, trying to put a stop to any action that might actually save the jobs in question.

On Monday, a statement from TDS said the company was discussing cutting the jobs in order to move from three to two shifts. The Transport and General Workers' Union and Amicus rejected proposals for redundancy terms on Friday, but on Monday the workers walked out without consulting their leaders.

Production of the Vauxhall Astra stopped at about 07:30 on Monday. Vauxhall said this was due to a lack of a number of parts being supplied by the company.

The redundancies at TDS follow a decision by General Motors to axe one of three shifts at the Vauxhall plant. The move will lead to the loss of about 900 jobs at Vauxhall, with a knock-on effect to suppliers.

A statement from TDS plant manager Colin Harwood said: "The company met the T&G and Amicus trade unions on 23rd June 2006, to continue discussions on moving from three to two shifts.

"Both trade unions rejected the company proposal for redundancy terms. Further consultation meetings will be held shortly."

A T&G spokesman told the BBC the problems arose over the redundancy packages that have been offered.

"We have issues of difference with the company and we will continue to meet with the company to address those," he said.

"We will do everything in our power to resolve those issues and get people back to work.

"The substantive issue that we're dealing with is managing those redundancies, and the current offer of redundancy pay is not sufficient.

"The company has offered a statutory payment and that is not sufficient in this case."

The T&GWU seem perfectly happy for their members to be sacked, as long as a ‘sufficient’ redundancy package is offered. But when many have worked in the factory for much of their working lives, what amount could ever be considered ‘sufficient’?

The workers of Vauxhall and TDS would have to re-enter the job market and re-train. Many former manufacturing workers end up in low-paid call centre or supermarket work.

Manufacturing is collapsing in this country, as a result of other countries being able to undercut UK skilled workers. They can do this because they are able extract longer hours and lower pay rates from their workers. Wage slaves throughout the world have a common interest: to take control of our workplaces and put an end to our exploitation. We also have common enemies: the capitalists who make money off our misery and the trade union officials who stab us in the back.