Workers Solidarity Movement

Administrators KPMG will tomorrow morning ask the High Court in Belfast to order the Visteon workers out of the factory at Finaghy Road North which they have been occupying for the past month.

Like many other trade unionists, our members voted overwhelmingly for industrial action against the pension levy. We thought that the trade union movement was serious about standing up for the interests of its membership. We did not think that the ICTU leaders could be so foolish as to throw away the energy and enthusiasm that was on display on the huge march on February 21st. But they did - for a promise of a ‘social pact’ with a government that is imposing wage cuts.

Belfast City Centre was brought to a standstill last Friday lunchtime in a rally organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) against the latest job losses in the manufacturing and textile industry.

Interesting article with background information about the occupation of the West Belfast Ford Visteon plant, and how Ford ran it down.

Two letters of support from workers at Tedrive - formerly Visteon - car plants in Germany.

Letter from Worker at Tedrive, formerly Visteon in Wuelfrath, Germany

The text of the leaflet produced by workers in occupation of the Ford Visteon factory in Enfield, London explaining why they had joined the occupations in Belfast and Enfield.

Following on from the occupation of the Waterford Glass plant in February which managed to save some of the jobs and improve redundancy conditions workers in Belfast at Visteon occupied their factor last week. With plant closures happening across the island both these occupations provide an example of workers taking direct action to preserve jobs and/or force employers to improve on redundancy conditions. Here we present reports from WSM members from these occupations and background articles.

Over 200 people marched today from Andersonstown to the factory in Finaghy for a rally, which was addressed by Unite Shop Stewards Charlie Maxwell and John McGuire, including representatives from the SDLP and Sinn Fein.

“Don’t wait for politicians and people high up in the unions- just do it yourself”, says Unite shop steward John McGuire.

Protests spread, as workers continue to occupy Visteon/Ford plant in West Belfast.

In the latest round of attacks on ordinary workers in order to force us to pay for the crisis in capitalism the government had "declared a moratorium on Recruitment and Promotions in the Public Service with effect from 27th March". This is both yet another direct attack on public sector workers and an indirect attack on all workers as it means our access to health, education and other essential services will be further reduced.