Vestas protest enters second week

Ongoing protests against the closure of a wind turbine factory on the Isle of Wight have entered their second week.

Around 25 workers are continuing their occupation of the Vestas Wind Systems factory in a bid to stop the factory closing with the loss of 625 jobs.

Danish firm Vestas plans to close the factory at the end of this month despite rising profits.

The company blamed the small size of the UK’s wind turbine market for the closure.

The protesters, who are not members of a union, began the sit-in last Monday after plans were announced to close the factory.

Environmentalists across the country have pledged their support for the workers’ sit-in, with protests outside the Department of Energy and Climate Change in London and outside Vestas headquarters in Warrington.

Hundreds of people attended a rally of support for the workers outside the factory on Friday evening.

The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Respect party have both given support to the workers.

Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary, said: “I would urge all trade unionists and environmental campaigners to make every effort to step up the campaign for the Vestas workforce in what will be a crucial week for their campaign to stop the closure of the factory.

“RMT will be continuing to apply pressure to Ed Miliband and the Government to step in to prevent the axing of these 625 green jobs, a move which makes a mockery of the Government’s stated objectives on green employment and renewable energy.”

The Campaign Against Climate Change protested last week in central London on behalf of the Vestas workers.

Phil Thornhill, CACC national co-ordinator, said: “The workers at Vestas are not standing by whilst the government fails to safeguard both their livelihoods and the health of the planet.

“In fighting for their jobs they are also showing that ordinary people will not let the government get away with ‘green jobs’ rhetoric without backing it up with real action.

“If the government can spend billions bailing out the banks and £2. 3bn in loan guarantees to support the UK car industry - they can definitely step in to save the infrastructure we are really going to need prevent a climate catastrophe.”