2013
25-07-2009, 03:00 PM
A long article i know but worth reading ,the whole article and visiting the website listed there . The tactics being used against them are outrageous .
http://savevestas.wordpress.com/
Britain: Vestas workers occupy wind turbine plant to stop closure
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/vest-j23.shtml
Workers occupying the Vestas Blades UK factory have been threatened with arrest and a court injunction. On Monday evening, some 25 workers began an occupation of the factory, to oppose the closure of the plant, which is scheduled for July 31, with the loss of 525 jobs.
The workers entered the offices of the factory on Monday evening. A worker quoted in the Guardian Tuesday explained how the occupation began:
“We took the upper floor, the management floor, the hub, where all of the planning gets done. There was an open door, we took our opportunity....
“External supplies coming in have been stopped by the management. They seem to want to starve us out. We've got enough to last us a couple of days.”
The occupation is being supported by protesters gathered outside the plant. From the beginning, management took aggressive steps to end the occupation.
The company has also begun legal action in an attempt to gain an injunction allowing them to remove the workers occupying the plant.
According to http://savevestas.wordpress.com, the Web site set up by the occupying workers and their supporters, “a security firm specialising in siege breaking” has been hired by management. Riot police have also been drafted in attempt to break the occupation.
Police entered the building in a clear attempt to intimidate the workers in the plant. The report read, “12:30—Riot police were spotted outside the doors occupying workers had secured and were testing the doors and intimidating us by also rattling shields. Then Vestas’ managers and security wedged the doors shut from the outside using chocks.”
These military style tactics by the police were conducted on private property, without the resort to any injunction.
On Tuesday morning three protesters were able to break through police lines from the outside and joined the occupation. Some 200 workers also demonstrated outside the plant after being turned away as they arrived for work.
Management and the police have worked to ensure that no one else would be allowed to join the occupation and to deny the occupying workers food. On Wednesday morning police arrested two protesters at the site. According to the Save Vestas Web site, “At 5.10 am this morning, a climate activist at the protest outside the Vestas plant attempted to take a bag of food to the occupying workers by means of a rope which the workers had lowered from the balcony. The activist was grabbed by 5 police officers and arrested.”
The arrested man was held for several hours and released without charge. According to a Times report, his custody sheet referred to him being “armed with supplies of food.”
On Wednesday management and security staff completed building a fence around the factory. The company has also switched off Internet communications at the plant.
http://savevestas.wordpress.com/
Britain: Vestas workers occupy wind turbine plant to stop closure
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/vest-j23.shtml
Workers occupying the Vestas Blades UK factory have been threatened with arrest and a court injunction. On Monday evening, some 25 workers began an occupation of the factory, to oppose the closure of the plant, which is scheduled for July 31, with the loss of 525 jobs.
The workers entered the offices of the factory on Monday evening. A worker quoted in the Guardian Tuesday explained how the occupation began:
“We took the upper floor, the management floor, the hub, where all of the planning gets done. There was an open door, we took our opportunity....
“External supplies coming in have been stopped by the management. They seem to want to starve us out. We've got enough to last us a couple of days.”
The occupation is being supported by protesters gathered outside the plant. From the beginning, management took aggressive steps to end the occupation.
The company has also begun legal action in an attempt to gain an injunction allowing them to remove the workers occupying the plant.
According to http://savevestas.wordpress.com, the Web site set up by the occupying workers and their supporters, “a security firm specialising in siege breaking” has been hired by management. Riot police have also been drafted in attempt to break the occupation.
Police entered the building in a clear attempt to intimidate the workers in the plant. The report read, “12:30—Riot police were spotted outside the doors occupying workers had secured and were testing the doors and intimidating us by also rattling shields. Then Vestas’ managers and security wedged the doors shut from the outside using chocks.”
These military style tactics by the police were conducted on private property, without the resort to any injunction.
On Tuesday morning three protesters were able to break through police lines from the outside and joined the occupation. Some 200 workers also demonstrated outside the plant after being turned away as they arrived for work.
Management and the police have worked to ensure that no one else would be allowed to join the occupation and to deny the occupying workers food. On Wednesday morning police arrested two protesters at the site. According to the Save Vestas Web site, “At 5.10 am this morning, a climate activist at the protest outside the Vestas plant attempted to take a bag of food to the occupying workers by means of a rope which the workers had lowered from the balcony. The activist was grabbed by 5 police officers and arrested.”
The arrested man was held for several hours and released without charge. According to a Times report, his custody sheet referred to him being “armed with supplies of food.”
On Wednesday management and security staff completed building a fence around the factory. The company has also switched off Internet communications at the plant.