"The GREEN PARTY TRADES UNION GROUP pledges its support and solidarity with the Visteon workers who have taken occupation of their factory to mark their defiance against losing their jobs at short notice, without wages owed or compensation. We regret that the Visteon workers have now been evicted and support their continuing picket of the Enfield factory.
GPTU also rejects any attempts by the parent company to use the economic crisis as an excuse to impose reduced conditions upon the workers in order to protect the interests of their shareholders.
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In a week that has revealed figures indicating the biggest drop in UK industrial production in four decades, including a 12.5% drop in output on the previous year in February alone, the biggest loss since records began - it is clear that it is the workers who are bearing the brunt of this crisis.
Instead of redundancy and a sense of alienation, we need our skilled workforce to help build a sustainable alternative to the current mode of production, not throw them onto the scrapheap. Their vital skills can be used to produce socially and environmentally useful components, and to build the public transport and renewable energy infrastructure that is essential to achieving this sustainable alternative. In the same spirit that inspired the Lucas Aerospace workers in 1976 to democratically organise and plan to convert production from military equipment to socially useful products, GPTU strongly supports any move by the Visteon workers to organise to develop their own strategy, and to use their skills to produce for the benefit of people and planet, and not be dictated to by the drive to produce profits.
GPTU supports the Visteon workers in their struggle, and other workers who take a similar action to defend their jobs against the self-interest of those who exploit them for profit."
P.Murry (Secretary) pp GPTU yrrumuk@yahoo.co.uk tel 07736525187
NB Visteon workers´ speakers have been invited to the Green left meeting 2pm Saturday 18th April Lucas Arms Grays Inn Rd London WCI And Ron Clark of Visteon has agreed to speak at our CCCTU meeting on 25th April. The meeting is 12 noon till 4pm on Saturday 25th April in University of London Union, (in the Bloomsbury Suite), Malet Street, London WC1E 7HY
"he GREEN PARTY TRADES UNION GROUP has been shocked and disappointed by the decision of the RMT to stand candidates in the forthcoming euro elections. We had hoped for RMT support for a coherent environmental plan, including an ecologically sustainable public and publically owned transport system. We fear that the current RMT electoral platform does not offer this within the context of a sensible political program and may have damaging consequences such as splitting votes and allowing the election of far right racist candidates, or endangering the seats of green Euro MPs who have a very good record of promoting workers´ rights in Europe.
Inspite of this GPTU will continue to actively support the RMT´s legitimate Trade Union activities and its campaigning for an ecologically sustainable public and publically owned transport system, but we cannot currently advise a vote for RMT candidates, which would currently be a wasted and dangerous vote." P.Murry (Secretary) pp GPTU yrrumuk@yahoo.co.uk tel 07736525187
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