Visteon [occupation] continues as rooftop protesters claim squatters’ rights

Update : Visteon occupation @ libcom.org.

Visteon stalemate continues as rooftop protesters claim squatters’ rights
Sarah Cosgrove
Enfield & Haringey Independent
April 3, 2009

THE stalemate between Visteon protesters and Ford continues, after a meeting today did nothing to resolve the situation.

The meeting between bosses of the Unite union and Ford’s European chairman John Fleming saw Mr Fleming continue to deny responsibility for the sacked workers.

The company maintains the responsibility lies with Visteon UK, which has gone into administration.

But the Unite union, which also represents 13,000 Ford workers, is not moving from its position.

The argument is over an agreement signed in 2000, after Ford moved areas of its production into a new company, Visteon.

Unite only agreed to workers’ contracts moving over because they were promised Ford terms and conditions for life.

Unite’s national officer for motor components, Roger Maddison, who was at today’s meeting, admitted the union recognised that Ford had no legal obligation towards the workers but said there was a “massive moral obligation to do something” for them.

He said Mr Fleming agreed to put pressure on the CEO of Visteon UK’s parent company, Visteon Corporation, Don Stebbings to pay up.

Union bosses think that if they give in on this point it could have a far-reaching effect for its Ford members.

Mr Maddison is flying to New York with Unite’s joint general secretary, Derek Simpson, to meet Visteon corportation’s chief financial officer, Bill Quigley and Global HR director, Dorothy Stevenson, on Wednesday.

A Ford Motor Company spokesman said nothing had changed for the company.

But he stressed that 560 workers had been re-employed by Ford before anybody new Visteon was going down the pan.

He said this was relevant because it proved Ford took its moral obligations towards its former workers seriously.

Nobody at Visteon was available for comment.

The protesters, who have claimed squatters’ rights [by] putting up Section 6 signs are determined to sit it out until either their demands are met, or they are legally evicted.

Former supervisor, Ms Steele, 45, one of the hardcore of colleagues who has been with the protest since Wednesday, said: “We’re a bit despondent about the meeting but we will be here for the duration.”

The protesters, who were all made redundant with just a few mintues’ notice on Tuesday, are calling for supporters to visit them tomorrow from 11am to show support.