Vestas

Commenting [31 July] on the planned closure of the Vestas wind turbine factory on the Isle of Wight, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Even at this late stage we are calling on Vestas to halt its closure plan and think again. Business, unions and Government must get around the table and make every effort to secure a future for wind turbine manufacturing in the UK. 'Ed Miliband has proved himself to be a champion of the green agenda and the drive to create new jobs. Now we are asking him to go the extra mile for the 600 workers and the production facility, the only one of its size in...

Lobby your MP and get her or him to sign "Early Day Motion" 1925, put down by John McDonnell MP in support of the Vestas workers. That this House expresses its concern that, at the very time when the Government is launching its drive for developing renewable energy sources in the UK, the Vestas company, specialising in renewable energy plant, is shedding 600 jobs and is closing; and calls on the Government to intervene as a matter of urgency to ensure the future of the Vestas operation and the protection of jobs. If the MP is Labour, contact local Labour Party activists and Labour-affiliated...

• Organise a visible demonstration of solidarity, especially on the next national day of action, 17 September (moved from 9 September). Take a photo with a placard that reads “Save Vestas Jobs” and email the photo to savevestas@gmail.com . • Send a donation from your trade union or other organisation, or make a personal donation, with a message of support: cheques payable to RMT IOW 2 VESTAS HARDSHIP & DEFENCE FUND, and sent to Keith Murphy, 57 Well Street, Ryde, IOW PO33 2RY. Or donate online at savevestas.wordpress.com . • Send a motion to your union leadership demanding they actively back...

On Saturday 1 August, about 200 demonstrators marched in the rain from Newport town centre to the occupied Vestas wind turbine blade factory on the St Cross industrial estate. As they rallied outside the factory entrance after the march, the police and Vestas security guards, for the first time, allowed Vestas workers to take food in to the occupiers. In another boost to the campaign, the TUC is expected to release a statement on Monday 3 August supporting the workers' demand for nationalisation of the factory. This will, at least by implication, commit the Unite union to supporting the...

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At the 6pm rally on Friday 31 July outside the occupied Vestas factory in Newport, Isle of Wight, a letter of support was read out from the Danish Red-Green Alliance. Once nationalised, the letter said, the wind turbine blade factory should be run under workers' control. The call for workers' control brought loud applause from the whole crowd. In conversations with Vestas workers a week ago, a question about what sort of management they would want in an occupied factory more usually brought the answers "I don't know", or "any sort of management, as long as it's fair". Also at the rally, a well...

The government’s UK Renewable Energy Strategy, published on 15 July along with its UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, makes a number of arguments for wind power. It stated: “Wind power is currently one of the most developed and cost-effective renewable electricity technologies. The UK has the largest potential wind energy resource in Europe. While offshore wind is more technologically challenging and more expensive than onshore wind, it has a larger potential due to a stronger and more consistent wind resource out to sea, leading to higher power outputs per turbine and more hours spent generating...

Ed Miliband’s statement on Vestas blames NIMBYism for the failure of Vestas. The NIMBYs in question are no doubt well-off people who can afford expensive lawyers. Certainly, there wasn’t this problem when the government evicted the East London working-class communities to make way for the deeply unpopular Olympics site. But fundamentally Miliband is saying that there is no market for onshore wind farms at the moment. The supporting documents to the White Paper suggest that Miliband might be contradicting his own policy. The Renewable Energy Strategy document states: “Our lead scenario suggests...

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