You are here: Home » Archives »

Unjust and unjustifiable: 11 non-unionised Vestas workers sacked for protest

July 28, 2009 9:35 pm

Author:

Share this Article

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

Despite the tension around the Vestas factory on the Isle of Wight, it is not just and it cannot be justified that 11 non-unionsed employees have tonight been sacked by the Danish wind turbine manufacturers for occupying the building in protest at the factory’s closure.

The 11 workers were served their notice in a note that was delivered with a pizza, according to the Save Vestas blog. These are people without a support structre, trying to save their jobs. They deserve to be treated with more dignity and respect.

And not only is such a harsh dismissal inappropriate, it may also prove ineffective. One of the workers at the factory said tonight:

“We’re obviously disappointed but we kind of expected this. It’s not going to deter us and we’re not going to leave. We’re not doing this for us now, we’re doing this for everybody else.”

The workers are now expected to attend a hearing at Newport County Court, after they received a summons yesterday. The RMT has stepped in to offer legal support to the protestors, but they still thave no formal union representation.

Meanwhile, thousands of protestors from the burgeoning red-green movement are expected to converge on the Isle of Wight tomorrow after the Big Green Gathering festival in Somerset was cancelled and ticketholders were urged to travel to Newport instead. The new gathering has already been dubbed “Vestival” and word is spreading through social media outlets.

Related posts:

  1. Thank you for your letter: here’s what the Labour government is doing on Vestas and the wider renewable energy industry
  2. 100 activists have signed my letter to help save Vestas in less than 24 – will you?
  3. Labour’s winds of change: it’s time to nationalise the Vestas Isle of Wight turbine factory
  4. Labour’s losing its heart when it rewards bankers but neglects ordinary workers
  5. 50,000 workers are killed each year – we owe it to them to do more

Comments are closed

Latest

  • News Ed Miliband’s Google Speech – full text

    Ed Miliband’s Google Speech – full text

    Speaking at the Google Big Tent event Ed Miliband said (please note, Miliband spoke without notes, but this is the text released by the party): It is great to be here inside the Google Big Tent. My sons Daniel and Sam think I do a very boring job, so they will be excited when I tell them I appeared along with the “Killer Robots” and the “Captain of the Moonshots” at your sessions. I’d like to start by showing you [...]

    Read more →
  • Comment Unions The chutzpah of Peter Mandelson – and why we need more trade unionists

    The chutzpah of Peter Mandelson – and why we need more trade unionists

    By Mark Seddon

    Lord Mandelson, or Baron Mandelson of Foy, as he should be referred to since he was packed off to the House of Lords by a small cabal, recently accused the Unite union of ‘manipulating selection procedures’ in the Labour Party. He went on to warn Ed Miliband that this ‘stores up danger for a future Labour government’. Irony has always been in as short supply as sheer chutzpah has been plentiful with old Mandy – but since his faithful disciple [...]

    Read more →
  • News Cameron says no more EU-turns – Media roundup: May 22nd, 2013

    Cameron says no more EU-turns – Media roundup: May 22nd, 2013

    Subscribers to our morning email get the best of LabourList – including the Media and blog round up – every weekday morning. If you were a subscriber you would have already received this in your inbox. You can sign up here. Cameron says no more EU-turns “After one of his most difficult weeks since becoming prime minister, David Cameron put in a polished and assured peformance on the Today programme this morning. The most notable line came on Europe, with Cameron [...]

    Read more →
  • Featured Miliband is off to speak to Google – but it’s not all about tax avoidance

    Miliband is off to speak to Google – but it’s not all about tax avoidance

    By Mark Ferguson

    Ed Miliband is speaking at the Google “Big Tent” event this morning, and as we noted earlier this week, he’s picking a bit of a fight with them over their tax affairs. Understandably, most of the press coverage in advance of Miliband’s speech (and presumably afterwards too) is about Google’s tax affairs. That’s in part due to David Cameron’s unwillingness to challenge his adviser, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, when the two met earlier this week. The Downing Street media team [...]

    Read more →
  • News Labour MPs and Equal Marriage – analysis, and some special mentions

    Labour MPs and Equal Marriage – analysis, and some special mentions

    By Kirstin Hay

    It was good to see the vast majority of Labour MPs voting for marriage equality yesterday, although here are some special mentions – Iain McKenzie, Frank Roy & Mike Wood - voted FOR after voting against in the 2nd reading Anne Begg, Gordon Brown, Bill Esterson, Pat Glass, Michael Meacher, Ian Mearns, Yasmin Qureshi, Virenda Sharma, Shaun Woodward - these MPs didn’t vote in the 2nd reading, but all voted FOR this evening (not all abstentions, a number were unable to attend [...]

    Read more →