Visteon Workers Win – But Fight Continues

One of the better pieces of news on May Day was that the occupation and picketing by sacked Visteon workers in Belfast, Enfield and Basildon and the strong support given by their union, Unite, has led to a greatly improved offer on severance pay, which the workers have now voted to accept.

The deal, achieved through the kind of fighting spirit I witnessed on my visits to the plant at Enfield shortly after the factory occupation started and when the workers came out of the works following a court order has been described as “ten times better” than the initial offer, with most workers getting six months or a year’s pay. The campaign also benefited from considerable support by students and trade unionists who brought supplies and joined in the pickets and demonstrations at the plant.

© 2009 Peter Marshall.

One of the workers from Enfield gave a powerful address at the Trade Union May Day rally in Trafalgar Square, stressing the need to stand up and fight for your rights – as these men and women did.

However, despite this victory there is still a battle to be fought over pensions, which highlights our unsatisfactory laws governing company pension schemes.  Legislation is needed to ensure that money paid into these by employees and employer should be entirely separate from company accounts and not something that can be lost.

© 2009 Peter Marshall.

After the rally in Trafalgar Square, workers and supporters held a picket outside the offices of Visteon administrators KPMG just off Fleet Street (once of course the home of the UK Newspaper industry.)  They demanded that their pension funds be restored to them.

© 2009 Peter Marshall.

There were speeches from several of the workers, including Raymond who had spoken earlier at Trafalgar Square, as well as one of the local Unite officials. The picket was also supported by London anarchists, including members of the London Branch of the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World),  and trade unionists.

© 2009 Peter Marshall.

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