Visteon staff picket Ford showrooms

12 April 2012

Angry Visteon car factory workers have picketed Ford showrooms in Northern Ireland and urged their counterparts in England to follow suit.

The action at Ford outlets in Belfast and Lisburn came 11 days after Visteon closed three loss making components plants in Belfast, Basildon, Essex, and Enfield, north London.

A total of 565 of Visteon's 610 strong UK workforce were laid off.

Visteon was set up in 2000 as a Ford spin-off and took over factories formerly owned by the car giant. Staff are demanding that Ford reopens the plants or, if not, honours the redundancy terms and conditions they had as Ford workers.

Union representatives travelled to New York for talks with Ford bosses earlier in the week but no settlement has been reached.

Many of the 210 workers made redundant at the west Belfast plant have been staging a sit-in since they were told it was closing. A similar protest at the Enfield plant ended on Thursday. Having held a rally in Belfast during the week, workers took their protest to Ford's doorstep and picketed outside showrooms on Saturday.

Union representative John Maguire said workers remained determined to continue their protests.

"If this isn't sorted out we plan to take these protests all round Ireland and I hope the workers in England will do the same thing," he said.

"We want the plant reopened, we have a full order book and (are) ready to operate. If they can't reopen it they must ensure the factory is closed using the proper mechanism - that means proper redundancy terms and pensions.

"The way we have been treated has been disgraceful and Ford need to know that we are determined to go on until this is sorted. The sit-in will go on. The community are helping us out with food and other supplies and we have no intention of calling it off."

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