A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by
The Saker >>
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony
Public Inquiry >>
Promoting Human Rights in IrelandHuman Rights in Ireland >>
Is There a Right to Die? Thu Nov 28, 2024 13:00 | James Alexander
Is there a right to die? As the Assisted Dying Bill vote looms, Prof James Alexander ponders the issues, asking if the whole debate would change if we think of it in terms of duties instead of rights.
The post Is There a Right to Die? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Net Migration Hit Almost One Million Last Year as ONS Revises Figures Thu Nov 28, 2024 11:19 | Will Jones
Net migration?hit a record high of nearly one million in 2023, 170,000 more than previously thought, in an extraordinary indictment of the Tories' post-Brexit record on 'cutting immigration'. No wonder the NHS is overrun.
The post Net Migration Hit Almost One Million Last Year as ONS Revises Figures appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Time for Starmer to Be Honest About What Net Zero Means: Rationing, Blackouts and Travel Restriction... Thu Nov 28, 2024 09:00 | Chris Morrison
Time for Starmer to be honest about what Net Zero means, says Chris Morrison. Rationing, blackouts and travel restrictions in five years. That's according to a Government-funded report that, for a change, says it plain.
The post Time for Starmer to Be Honest About What Net Zero Means: Rationing, Blackouts and Travel Restrictions in the Next Five Years appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
For Britain?s Thought Police the Allison Pearson Fiasco Achieved its Purpose: Turning Up the Fear Thu Nov 28, 2024 07:00 | Steven Tucker
For Britain's Thought Police the Allison Pearson fiasco achieved its purpose, says Steven Tucker: increasing people's fear to speak their mind. The investigation was dropped, but the threat still hangs over us all.
The post For Britain’s Thought Police the Allison Pearson Fiasco Achieved its Purpose: Turning Up the Fear appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Thu Nov 28, 2024 01:16 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
antrim |
worker & community struggles and protests |
news report
Wednesday April 08, 2009 23:51
by Belfast WSM - Workers Solidarity Movement
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6Audio recordings
Interview
Audio recordings
Rally inside the plant
Also BBC footage of the march
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7990210.stm
Two letters of support from workers at Tedrive - formerly Visteon - car plants in Germany.
Letter from Worker at Tedrive, formerly Visteon in Wuelfrath, Germany
It is good to hear from Visteon workers in England and Ireland fighting back and occupying their factories. In the Visteon plants in Wuelfrath and Dueren (West-Germany) workers have been too patient for too long...
In 2000 the former Ford plants in Wuelfrath and Dueren were outsourced to Visteon. Despite agreements with works council and unions it took only few years to deteriorate the working conditions of the former Ford workers. As early as 2003 about 400 of the 1,000 workers were employed by temp agencies. In 2006 the remaining permanent workers had to swallow a so-called restructuring agreement in order to 'save' Visteon: no christmas and holiday money for three years plus wage cuts, in total 15,000 Euro per worker within this three years period. In summer 2006 these new conditions prepared Visteon to sell the two plants to Tedrive. Dueren now focus production on power trains and Wuelfrath on steering systems, meaning that the chassis of the Fiesta manufactured in Cologne is produced elsewhere. In spring 2007 Special Situations Venture Partners II bought the Visteon plants under the name of Tedrive. Works council and unions sold this deal as a way to 'save jobs'. Tedrive new that all major order of Ford would run out by 2009, they were just in for some quick money. As it now turns out they did not pay for the companies (part-time) pension scheme either. Instead Tedrive bought another small supplier for steering systems, taking over machines and patents. Ford/Visteon/Tedrive in Wuelfrath now manufacturing steering systems for Ford Mondeo, Galaxy and S-Max and parts for Volvo and Land Rover. In November 2008 the order from the US – about 30 percent of the total production in Wuelfrath – are cancelled. 150 temp workers are sacked on the spot and 170 highly skilled permanent workers are shifted from single parts manufacturing back to assembly line production. On a company assembly on 31st of October2008 the company prepares for a final blow: 28o workers are supposed to be sacked and the remaining 288 are supposed to accept wage cuts of further 4.6 million Euro. At the same time the managements demands Sunday and holiday shifts for finishing the outstanding Ford orders! Only mild protest from the workers representative (works council). On 10th of December the company announces bankruptcy. Ford still depends on the plant in Wuelfrath, they pay for each delivery immediately – instead of the former six weekly payments. In that way Ford paid 7 million Euro in December and 6.5 million Euro in January 2009. Due to lack of investment by Tedrive the production is rather precarious now, spare parts are missing, sometimes simple things like safety gloves lack, as well. The normal shift bonus for the workers is not paid. All in all it became clear: workers have been rather patient, accepting wage cut after wage cut and job cut after job cut. Now they have double stress: Sunday shifts for last orders and the threat of near future unemployment.
Letter from another worker at Tedrive, in Germany
hello colleagues in england,
greetings in solidarity from former Ford werke ag in Germany. we have been outsourced to visteon in 2000 and sold to Orlando in May 2007, a German-Dutch investment group - so now we are employees of the Tedrive-Group. Since December 2008 some branches of the Tedrive Group are in insolvency proceedings and mass redundancies are about to happen - the rest of the workers are supposed to accept a considerable wage cut and to be thankful for the 'saved" jobs. We got to know about the factory occupations in Great Britain and we wish you best of luck. In Germany in the former Ford/Visteon plants industrial peace is being kept up and Ford is delivered in time, given that Tedrive still depends on Ford and expects a promise for long-term orders. In Germany, as well, Ford is delaying things on purpose, trying to go the way of least resistance and most likely doesn't think about saving the former Ford employees or plants - they are just interested in securing the supply chain/loyality/quality for a cheap price! don't back off - you have a lot to lose!
in solidarity, colleagues from Germany
despite the changes of names we say: once ford, always ford, because we are more than just 'former-ford-employees"!
http://www.wsm.ie/story/5418.
There are also articles drawing on previous workplace occupations including the Argentinian example of workers self-management.