Prisme Workers of Dundee Occupy Factory

[bellyscratch]

Don't know too much about this as I've just got a text about it but apparently workers have occupied the factory after they got made redundant with 1 days notice.

To show support email christinaf1956 [at] hotmail [dot] com


If anyone else has any more info then it would be good

[Greenman]

I can't yet post the link as I do not have enough post counts,:cursing: but it is covered on the Website of Scotland's Solidarity Party.

"An occupation is taking place at Prisme Packaging in Dundee. It started at 5pm on Wednesday 4th March after the twelve employees were told their contracts were being immediately terminated without redundancy pay.

Quote:
“On Monday we came into work as normal and the Managing Director came in and gave his letter of resignation. So we phoned the company secretary who was actually on holiday. We were told to speak to a guy called Alan Dand. On Tuesday he called us and an administrator came to look at the accounts. Then the company told us that they didn’t have enough assets to pay for the administrator and said “Looks like we’re just going to shut the door”.

We were told that the director and a legal representative were coming to tell us our rights but in fact the legal representative was for the director and wouldn’t tell us anything. They won’t even tell us who owns the company! We demanded that we be given a letter how much we were entitled to in redundancy payments, our P45’s and statutory redundancy forms. When we received the letter it stated how much our statutory redundancy payments were and that we were entitled to wages, pay in lieu of notice and accrued holiday pay. Then the next sentence of the letter said “Unfortunately, we do not have any money to make these payments to you.”. They said there were other routes we could take to get our redundancy payments but all they have suggested is speaking to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

After receiving these letters we were told to leave and come back at half nine in the morning but we decided we’re not leaving until we receive what we’re entitled to. We’re not giving them the opportunity to lock the doors while we’re out so we end up with nothing.

[alhop10]

http://leninology.blogspot.com/

Sweet!

[Sam_b]

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=17304



Dundee workers occupy over factory closure

Workers at a packaging firm in Dundee are occupying their factory after being told they were sacked and that the company had no money to pay their redundancy.
One of the workers, Matthew, spoke to Socialist Worker from the occupied factory.
He said, “We are staying here to make the point that it is not acceptable to treat long-serving employees in this way. We demand some respect.”
Matthew explained that the 12 employees at Prisme Packaging came to work as normal on Monday. At around 9am the managing director resigned and the workers were told to phone the company secretary if they wanted to find out what was going on or what to do next.
The workers were later told that the company secretary was on holiday.
This morning someone the workers had never met before turned up at the factory and said that he was a company director. He brought a lawyer and told the workers that the company was ceasing trading.
“They had no documentation so we sent them away,” said Matthew. “They came back later in the day with redundancy letters for each employee detailing redundancy entitlement. At the bottom of the letters it said that there was no money to pay this entitlement and that we should go to the Citizens Advice Bureau for help.
“This is devastating news – there are some people who have worked here for 12 or 14 years.
“The mood was growing throughout the day that we had to do something about the situation so we decided to stay put. We need some more answers about what is going on. We want to get the word out about what is happening and we want what is legally ours.”
Send messages of support to [email protected]

[Crux]

Workers Occupy factory in Dundee

Interview with Matthew – Young worker in the occupation

An occupation is taking place at Prisme Packaging in Dundee. It started at 5pm on Wednesday 4th March after the twelve employees were told their contracts were being immediately terminated without redundancy pay.


“On Monday we came into work as normal and the Managing Director came in and gave his letter of resignation. So we phoned the company secretary who was actually on holiday. We were told to speak to a guy called Alan Dand. On Tuesday he called us and an administrator came to look at the accounts. Then the company told us that they didn’t have enough assets to pay for the administrator and said “Looks like we’re just going to shut the door”.

We were told that the director and a legal representative were coming to tell us our rights but in fact the legal representative was for the director and wouldn’t tell us anything. They won’t even tell us who owns the company! We demanded that we be given a letter how much we were entitled to in redundancy payments, our P45’s and statutory redundancy forms.

When we received the letter it stated how much our statutory redundancy payments were and that we were entitled to wages, pay in lieu of notice and accrued holiday pay. Then the next sentence of the letter said “Unfortunately, we do not have any money to make these payments to you.”. They said there were other routes we could take to get our redundancy payments but all they have suggested is speaking to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

After receiving these letters we were told to leave and come back at half nine in the morning but we decided we’re not leaving until we receive what we’re entitled to. We’re not giving them the opportunity to lock the doors while we’re out so we end up with nothing.”

Please circulate this information

Please text/phone urgent messages of support to 07970875455 or email [email protected]

[PRC-UTE]

I didnt' see this posted yet, so here's their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=71987176437&topic=8368

reports from Dundee SSP http://dundeessp.org/blog/

[RebelDog]

Factory occupations in the UK! It shows what we are up against in the UK. The bastards can walk away and leave utter devastation in workers lives without any semblance of justice or respect. The anger of these workers must be total. The problem for the capitalists and their laws is it leaves workers no other avenue for their rage than to occupy the factory. Fred the Shred never had this problem.

[thejambo1]

we should be showing our solidarity with these fellow workers. the local news on stv had an interview with one of the workers and he put the point across well. they are being totally fucked over by the bosses and took the only action they had left. more power to them.

[ls]

This is superb. More here from Indymedia: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2009/03/423576.html?c=on#comments.

[Crux]

http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2009/03/0602.html

Prisme workers occupation – Day 2

“We have to fight for our rights.”
International Socialists (CWI in Scotland)

http://www.socialistworld.net/pics/2009/03/0602/pic01.pjpeg Billboard in support of occupation

The 12 Prisme packaging workers occupying their workplace in Dundee have voted to continue their protest for a second night.
The 12, who were sacked without notice and who have been told the company will pay them no redundancy, wages due or accrued holiday pay, began their occupation on Thursday at 5pm.
Maureen has worked at Prisme for 13 years and told us, “We have decided to continue our fight to put this company to shame. We have to fight for our rights. The support we have had has been tremendous, totally amazing. I spoke to Tommy Sheridan last night and that was brilliant. It’s made us determined to fight even harder to get what we are owed. We have been loyal workers and now we are being treated disgracefully.”
Matthew, who is 25 and has worked at Prisme for almost 2 years, explained: “ The company director came back this morning, all suited and booted, telling us he did not understand why we were taking this action. He has “offered” us the alternative route of a tribunal to get our redundancy money and other money that is due. Our response has been to say we’ll stay as long as it takes to get what is due.
“We have had masses of support, texts, phone calls and emails which have been a big boost. Messages from trade unionists across the country and socialists from Scotland and even places like Brighton, Wales, Coventry, even a text from Australia, as well as the Youth Fight For Jobs campaign, Solidarity and many others who have offered us their full support.”
Members of the International Socialists, Solidarity and the Youth Fight for Jobs (http://www.youthfightforjobs.com/) campaign stayed overnight with the workers last night and are helping to build as much support as possible for this action, which is an inspiration for all those fighting the bosses’ offensive on jobs and workers’ rights.
These heroic workers need your continued support so please email/phone and text your solidarity
Please text/phone urgent messages of support to 07970875455 or email [email protected]

[Magdalen]

I was up at the factory this afternoon, and the workers' morale seemed very high. It's buried away in a little pend directly opposite Dundee United's Tannadice Park. A few guys were there from the World Socialist Web Site doing an interview. I had a good chat with the workers up there, and was interested to find out that they were all non-union. Positively, that meant there was no meddling labour aristocrat hanging around to stop people speaking to the 'nasty ultra-leftists'.

Collections have been going on in the town centre over the last few days, despite harassment from police protecting the Scottish Labour Party conference. (I sneaked into a fringe meeting on Venezuela earlier that day, and was rather taken aback, as was the speaker from the Venezuela Information Centre, when the President of the STUC refused to address a question on the links between workers' occupations in Venezuela and Scotland.) A busker who had come through from Glasgow, playing Jim Garland's 'I Don't Want Your Millions, Mister', also donated his entire day's takings to the workers.

[PRC-UTE]

Prisme Packaging Occupation
Press Release 22/04/09


After 51 days the Dundee Prisme workers have decided to end their occupation. The reason we have taken this decision is that it looks like we have secured funding to take our co-op venture forward and save the jobs that we thought had gone.

Our occupation began to secure our redundancy payments and other monies that were denied to us by our employer when we were sacked. However, during the occupation we also decided to fight to safeguard our jobs because we believed there was a viable business, even if our predecessors did not.. It looks like we have achieved this aim. A new company Discovery Packaging and Design Ltd is going to be launched on 1st May 2009.

This victory would not have been possible if it had not been for the support we have had from the general public, trade unionists, socialists and many others. This support and solidarity has been overwhelming and has helped give us the energy and determination to carry on for more than 7 weeks.

We said at the beginning of this that we were little people who had refused to be little anymore. We are proud of what we have achieved and our dignity is intact. We showed we would not be walked over by an uncaring employer.

We want to thank all those who have supported our struggle over the last 51 days, your support has been invaluable. Thanks once again to you all.

The Prisme workers will be leaving the factory together and united at 5pm on Friday 24th April. Come along and wish them well - bring your banners!

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Absolutely brilliant. Whoever had the first recent occupation has sparked off many more occupations. Hopefully we will see more and more workers stand up through occupations. This can only be a positive thing to raise class consciousness.

[cyu]

This victory would not have been possible if it had not been for the support we have had from the general public, trade unionists, socialists and many others. This support and solidarity has been overwhelming and has helped give us the energy and determination to carry on for more than 7 weeks.

Very good to hear.


we have secured funding to take our co-op venture forward and save the jobs that we thought had gone.


Are there more details about this? Do they still lose the factory and have to start over somewhere else?

[Wakizashi the Bolshevik]

Yeah, the Scots know what to do!
We should really do such a thing here too!

[Magdalen]

Very good to hear.



Are there more details about this? Do they still lose the factory and have to start over somewhere else?

No, after some wrangling with the Glasgow-based landlord, who almost put the factory up for rent during the occupation, Discovery Packaging will be operating out of the same location.