Visteon workers fight for a better deal

UK (SANEPR.com) June 4, 2009 -- The UK education charity and its alternative news channel WORLDbytes has released a filmed report covering the Visteon protests in Enfield. The report draws out the situation workers faced upon being made redundant and what prompted them to take matters into their own hands and occupy the car part factory.

Interviews conducted directly after the workers left the occupation capture the mood at the time: a great uncertainty about what the future holds yet hope and defiance that ultimately led Visteon bosses to meet their demands.

Interviewees include Paul Walker, a young father who worked at the plant for 21 years, who says in the report: “We’re here for justice. We’re here for ourselves. We were all there for each other and we kept each other strong. I think something good will come out of all this.”

Ron Clarke, the former UNITE convenor at the plant, says “We forced the company to the table. This is a major victory for people standing up for their rights. Up and down this country factory after factory has been closing down as manufacturing has been destroyed and people have just walked away. But we’re not going to walk away.”

Also included are interviews with supporters, including Carol Vincent, ex-Big Brother candidate, who turned up in solidarity as, she says: “this is an unacceptable way of paying back your labour force who have built up your profits.”

As Britain heads deeper into recession and unemployment rises, this WORLDbytes report provides timely coverage of a group of people who refused to accept the appalling terms that were given to them.

As Paul Walker explains: “There’s a lot of people struggling and it’s only going to get worse. Something like this needs to happen... When I see a demonstration now, I’m going to want to know what it’s about and I’ll give them my support. I didn’t know before. I didn’t understand. A lot of people, their eyes were closed.”

The report is available to view at: www.worldbytes.org/programmes/007/007_002.html

The filmed report “Visteon workers fight for a better deal” was created by WORLDbytes, an alternative on-line channel of programmes created by young volunteers which aims to get behind the headlines and promote a people-first perspective on a wide-range of issues. The programme’s credo is “don’t shout at the telly, change the message on it”.

The WORLDbytes online channel is available at www.worldbytes.org

For more information and interviews contact:

Viv Regan Ceri Dingle
Email: vivregan@btconnect.com Email: ceridingle@btconnect.com
Tel: +44 (0)7939 449 604 or +44 (0)20 8985 5435 Tel: +44 (0)7866 806 918