cyu
14th September 2009, 19:32
http://socialistworld.net/pics/2009/09/1401/pic01.pjpeg
Excerpts from http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/09/1401.html
As soon as someone joined a union they were fired. In practice, they always found a reason to fire you from one day to the next. However, the majority stayed. As there isn't much well-paid work on the island, the employers thought they could always find people.
At one meeting, I learned that there was a plan for the workers to take over the factory, but someone had betrayed our plans to the owners. The manager had begun to suspect us and collect the papers of those involved. So we didn't have much time. Me and another man shouted, "let's go now!".
I was the one who entered first. I kept the security guard talking so that the others could get in. Events moved very quickly and within 10 minutes, everything was barricaded (including me on the outside! - in the excitement of events, my colleagues forgot to let me know when I could go into the factory – I didn't manage to get in until the next day with three other employees).
From the first day, they tried to intimidate us. Because of the police, we could not sleep, someone was always running around, banging.
The policeman tried to convince us that this was the end, that if we refused to leave he would have to arrest us. We stayed inside. Then we shot into the limelight as the media became interested in us.
For the first three days, Vestas refused to allow anyone to deliver food to us... This went on for three days. In the end, people managed to force themselves past the police tape and throw food to us on the balcony. After this happened, the company decided to put up a 2-metre fence. Ultimately, they decided to provide us with food: a sandwich and fruit for breakfast, and the same thing for dinner.
We had to survive on this (I lost almost 20 kg and someone else had to go to hospital because of low blood-sugar levels). Although there were still attempts to deliver food to us – some people dressed up in various costumes to distract security and a second group, in accordance with a plan, attached a bag with food to a rope which we had prepared. This raised our morale.
We had a few smokers inside, so people from outside threw us tennis balls with tobacco and papers inside, as well as pen drives, portable Internet etc... many balls didn't make it. After a week, at the reception, there were about 50 balls with different contents (e.g. heads of toothbrushes, sweets etc.). It was funny."
In England, trade unionists and activists are reluctant to cooperate with each other, you're red, green or anarchist – everyone has their own agenda, each working in his/her own way. Vestas was different. Different people began to work together... Activists of various tendencies were found there, even UNICEF supported us, due to the fact that we were not receiving food.
However, politicians and the local government distanced themselves from us. Neither the Labour Party nor the Liberal Democrats wanted anything to do with us.
This company reported a net profit of £58 million in the first quarter of this year... The Government declared that it supports us in our fight for higher redundancy pay and so on. However, they are not interested in saving the company... Their statements seem ridiculous to me.
The protest continues, we are still fighting to keep our jobs. We would like the factory to be taken over and continue to produce wind turbines... we have skilled people working who have been there from the birth of the factory, who adapted to each change in technology and could start production with our eyes closed.
Lots of people supported us. But some have families, small children, debts etc. Out of necessity, they couldn't afford to take part. Those of us who entered the factory were more desperate and more assertive. We fought not only for ourselves, but for everyone.
I can't say a bad word about the people I was inside with. They are as close to me as my own family. The same goes for the people who were on the outside.
Related: http://savevestas.wordpress.com/
Excerpts from http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/09/1401.html
As soon as someone joined a union they were fired. In practice, they always found a reason to fire you from one day to the next. However, the majority stayed. As there isn't much well-paid work on the island, the employers thought they could always find people.
At one meeting, I learned that there was a plan for the workers to take over the factory, but someone had betrayed our plans to the owners. The manager had begun to suspect us and collect the papers of those involved. So we didn't have much time. Me and another man shouted, "let's go now!".
I was the one who entered first. I kept the security guard talking so that the others could get in. Events moved very quickly and within 10 minutes, everything was barricaded (including me on the outside! - in the excitement of events, my colleagues forgot to let me know when I could go into the factory – I didn't manage to get in until the next day with three other employees).
From the first day, they tried to intimidate us. Because of the police, we could not sleep, someone was always running around, banging.
The policeman tried to convince us that this was the end, that if we refused to leave he would have to arrest us. We stayed inside. Then we shot into the limelight as the media became interested in us.
For the first three days, Vestas refused to allow anyone to deliver food to us... This went on for three days. In the end, people managed to force themselves past the police tape and throw food to us on the balcony. After this happened, the company decided to put up a 2-metre fence. Ultimately, they decided to provide us with food: a sandwich and fruit for breakfast, and the same thing for dinner.
We had to survive on this (I lost almost 20 kg and someone else had to go to hospital because of low blood-sugar levels). Although there were still attempts to deliver food to us – some people dressed up in various costumes to distract security and a second group, in accordance with a plan, attached a bag with food to a rope which we had prepared. This raised our morale.
We had a few smokers inside, so people from outside threw us tennis balls with tobacco and papers inside, as well as pen drives, portable Internet etc... many balls didn't make it. After a week, at the reception, there were about 50 balls with different contents (e.g. heads of toothbrushes, sweets etc.). It was funny."
In England, trade unionists and activists are reluctant to cooperate with each other, you're red, green or anarchist – everyone has their own agenda, each working in his/her own way. Vestas was different. Different people began to work together... Activists of various tendencies were found there, even UNICEF supported us, due to the fact that we were not receiving food.
However, politicians and the local government distanced themselves from us. Neither the Labour Party nor the Liberal Democrats wanted anything to do with us.
This company reported a net profit of £58 million in the first quarter of this year... The Government declared that it supports us in our fight for higher redundancy pay and so on. However, they are not interested in saving the company... Their statements seem ridiculous to me.
The protest continues, we are still fighting to keep our jobs. We would like the factory to be taken over and continue to produce wind turbines... we have skilled people working who have been there from the birth of the factory, who adapted to each change in technology and could start production with our eyes closed.
Lots of people supported us. But some have families, small children, debts etc. Out of necessity, they couldn't afford to take part. Those of us who entered the factory were more desperate and more assertive. We fought not only for ourselves, but for everyone.
I can't say a bad word about the people I was inside with. They are as close to me as my own family. The same goes for the people who were on the outside.
Related: http://savevestas.wordpress.com/