Excellent Video on Visteon Factory Worker Occupation

[Matina]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUXFyoLgmRE&feature=channel_page

[Stranger Than Paradise]

That's a great video, wonder how much longer they can stay there, few of the workers seemed a little worried about that.

[Matina]

That's a great video, wonder how much longer they can stay there, few of the workers seemed a little worried about that.

Watch it 'till the end and you'll find out:(

[cyu]

Not sure why you had a frowny face there, but I guess since she/he is banned, I'm not going to get an answer =P

[bolchevique]

Absolutely great video

[RebelDog]

It doesn't matter what the bosses do to their workers the coppers will march down to support them, and they wonder why people throw bricks at them. I hope they can hold out. It just goes to show how quickly workers can gain class-consciousness and act together as one against the bosses and it can inspire other workers to act.

[Forward Union]

Yea i was gonan post that, nice one... haha I am actually in that video.

[Sproule]

Great video, And there right when they say boss will be watching to see what they can get away with, Hold the line comrades

[Forward Union]

If people want to send letters of support, PM them to me.

[Pogue]

If people want to send letters of support, PM them to me.

I wanna be in the videos :'(

:D

[cyu]

I wanna be in the videos :'(

:D


LOL

Actually, it would be cool if you got some people together and did one of your own. Put some good sound-bites in it at the beginning, some shots of the various emotional reactions of people hurt by this, show the scope / scale of the occupation, maybe add some concise analysis at the end (hopefully not too boring =)

[The Feral Underclass]

It's amazing what they're doing. This is the real fucking deal.

[JimmyJazz]

It doesn't matter what the bosses do to their workers the coppers will march down to support them, and they wonder why people throw bricks at them. I hope they can hold out. It just goes to show how quickly workers can gain class-consciousness and act together as one against the bosses and it can inspire other workers to act.

Where was this class consciousness? Because I must have missed it. Aside from the man at 5:42, who does not even appear to be one of the workers but a supporter outside the gates, not one person says anything that indicates they are even aware of the existence of a working "class".

Just because the IMT stickies itself over "radical" measures taken in pursuit of purely local, purely economic demands, doesn't mean the rest of us should.

Interesting video and trend, though. I hope they win.

[ls]

It's amazing what they're doing. This is the real fucking deal.

Indeed it is. Just got back from there a while ago.

Getting to speak to them was an absolute privilege and a joy (the gatewoman wasn't allowing anyone else in but can you complain when you get to speak to them themselves in person? Also can you blame her when you have a socialist wanker woman going around trying to get interviews).

They were so fiercely intelligent and absolutely conscious of all the deeper implications in their situation, it is so, so inspiring. I was freezing cold on the way there wearing just a t-shirt (after dusk) yet I found myself no longer shivering after speaking to them, it made me feel that much better.

Some of them have been working there 30 years with their comrades for this appalling action to suddenly happen to them, one of them told me there originally around 1,500 workers when it first started out. It has dropped like a stone over the years as Ford has exploited them left, right and centre! Making a fucking company to rehire them just to lower their wages, destroying a promise they made to keep their pay conditions exactly the same as before? Would you stand for it as a human being?

On top of that they contributed so much, their factory is one of its only kinds in the UK, each one of them is deeply skilled (and singularly they were each indeed fiercely intelligent, they were aware that their job isn't what the twatty bourgeoisie consider a 'good one', they are all more than capable of getting your typical soul destroying piece of shit job like a mindless middle-class wankerdrone.. but they have more of a backbone than that).


Where was this class consciousness?

I promise you it is absolutely there, the people I spoke to at the factory knew exactly what was meant to happen to them, the deeper consequences of it and also exactly how the bosses were going to profit from it.

Sorry to keep harping on like this, but this is just so inspiring.

[JimmyJazz]

the people I spoke to at the factory knew exactly what was meant to happen to them, the deeper consequences of it and also exactly how the bosses were going to profit from it.

Well I got that much from the video. And it's awesome, of course. But class consciousness is connecting your struggles to those of everyone else in society who is in the same class position as you (separated from the MoP, work for a wage...you know the rest). Are they experiencing that? Even the most politically conservative person in the world can manage to make the connection between their interests and those of the people of the same shop as them--it's not that much of an achievement in terms of consciousness. And militancy != class consciousness. They are two different things. I've met and talked with extremely militant, angry organizers of very conservative unions. And I've known hardcore socialists who had worked their whole adult lives but never actually engaged in a single action against their bosses (because their industry wasn't really unionized in the area they lived).

One guy in the video complains that the bosses expect him to leave and "get a job for six bit an hour". But I wonder, if you asked him, whether he realizes that this happens as a trend, and reduces the living standard of an entire class of people, and that eventually the standard of living will dip so low that virtually no one of this class will be able to escape from it except perhaps by turning to crime, and that the only way to fight back is to organize as a class (across shops, trades, races, genders, nations)? We're tempted to say "of course he does, he's not an idiot!", but unfortunately what's obvious to us is not obvious to everyone (and was not obvious to any of us at one time).

Anyway, the occupation is great news, and I think I've made my point, so carry on.

[ls]

But class consciousness is connecting your struggles to those of everyone else in society who is in the same class position as you (separated from the MoP, work for a wage...you know the rest).

Things said to me such as "it's just bosses profiting as usual" indicate that this was "connected" as you may say.


Are they experiencing that?

They are not selfish people.


it's not that much of an achievement in terms of consciousness.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that, but it's true, yet it is intrinsically important in terms of what we on here commonly believe in.


And militancy != class consciousness.

I'm not sure how this is really 'militant', direct action yes, but not militant. Having said that I do not think anyone has thus far on this thread implied that they are one and the same.



One guy in the video complains that the bosses expect him to leave and "get a job for six bit an hour". But I wonder, if you asked him, whether he realizes that this happens as a trend, and reduces the living standard of an entire class of people, and that eventually the standard of living will dip so low that virtually no one of this class will be able to escape from it except perhaps by turning to crime, and that the only way to fight back is to organize as a class (across shops, trades, races, genders, nations)? We're tempted to say "of course he does, he's not an idiot!", but unfortunately what's obvious to us is not obvious to everyone (and was not obvious to any of us at one time).

With slogans directly outside and complete support of them by the workers -- slogans such as "jobs not dole" (dole referring to welfare in the UK), them responding to things I said like "support of the working-class is a thing lacking nowdays" with "definitely".. I think it's been understood. Also to some of us it was obvious from a very early age indeed, Ian Bone is a perfect example of this; from an extremely young age he witnessed the suffering of his father at the hands of a middle-class piece of shit that forced him to slave it out for him, he developed class consciousness at a very early age resultantly.


Anyway, the occupation is great news, and I think I've made my point, so carry on.

:P

[Pogue]

Indeed it is. Just got back from there a while ago.

Getting to speak to them was an absolute privilege and a joy (the gatewoman wasn't allowing anyone else in but can you complain when you get to speak to them themselves in person? Also can you blame her when you have a socialist wanker woman going around trying to get interviews).

They were so fiercely intelligent and absolutely conscious of all the deeper implications in their situation, it is so, so inspiring. I was freezing cold on the way there wearing just a t-shirt (after dusk) yet I found myself no longer shivering after speaking to them, it made me feel that much better.

Some of them have been working there 30 years with their comrades for this appalling action to suddenly happen to them, one of them told me there originally around 1,500 workers when it first started out. It has dropped like a stone over the years as Ford has exploited them left, right and centre! Making a fucking company to rehire them just to lower their wages, destroying a promise they made to keep their pay conditions exactly the same as before? Would you stand for it as a human being?

On top of that they contributed so much, their factory is one of its only kinds in the UK, each one of them is deeply skilled (and each of them seem really intelligent too, like they would not even have to have that job, but could have a much much better paid one).



I promise you it is absolutely there, the people I spoke to at the factory knew exactly what was meant to happen to them, the deeper consequences of it and also exactly how the bosses were going to profit from it.

Sorry to keep harping on like this, but this is just so inspiring.

Maybe I'll meet you down there on Thursday mate :D

Talk in PMs

[Forward Union]

Getting to speak to them was an absolute privilege and a joy (the gatewoman wasn't allowing anyone else inha ha they let me in.

IRT Jimyjazz. The workers there occupied the factory in solidarity with the workers in belfast. And have been sending messages of support to the school occupations in Glasgow.

I am trying to facilitate communication between them and other international groups of a similar vein, such as the Strike Bike factory in Germany.

[ls]

ha ha they let me in.

Yeah, but you were there from the beginning you lucky sod, it's right by you.


I am trying to facilitate communication between them and other international groups of a similar vein, such as the Strike Bike factory in Germany.

Brilliant. I hope we can get solidarity going in several countries, that would be fantastic.

[Stranger Than Paradise]

I thought most of the people in the video were class conscious.