On 16 September Vestas bosses moved to attempt legal action against the blockade by workers and supporters at the "marine gate" of its wind-turbine blade factory at Newport, Isle of Wight. That indicates that the bosses are feeling the pressure.
The "marine gate" is being blockaded to stop Vestas shipping out nine wind turbine blades, worth £700,000, that were left in the factory when workers occupied on 20 July to stop its closure.
The occupiers, who demanded that Vestas hand over the factory for nationalisation to save the jobs, were evicted on 7 August, but workers and supporters have continued to picket the factory.
The evidence suggests that Vestas bosses have been ready and keen to move the blades since early September, but have held off so far in the hope that the blockade will peter out.
It has not petered out, so on 16 September Vestas bosses had two legal documents delivered to the blockade. One is a lawyers' letter saying that Vestas has a right of use on the land between the "marine gate" and the jetty where the blades would be loaded onto barges, and demands that workers and supporters who are camping there move on. The other is a letter from the local council saying that the council plans to move on the campers from the land - which is council land - under the laws commonly used to evict travellers.
The council letter states that the council is obliged to consider the campers' housing and other needs before further action, so immediate eviction is not a prospect.
Even if the tents now at the "marine gate" are eventually moved, workers and supporters will still have a right to gather on the cycle path in front of the gate - which is a public right of way - when Vestas want to move blades.
The blockade is hurting. It can be used to, at least, win reinstatement of the redundancy money due to the eleven of the occupiers whom Vestas sacked rather than making them redundant. To do that will require continued support from activists from across the country. If you're willing to help, phone Ed Maltby on 07775 763 750.
Cranes occupied at Southampton docks
On 15 September, using Southampton’s Boat Show as cover, protesters had arrived by power-boat to occupy cranes and vessels at the city’s docks.
Coming from the Vestas factory blockade on the Isle of Wight, the group aimed to prevent the loading of wind-turbine blades from the Newport plant.
“We made these blades, and now Vestas want to take their profits and leave us high and dry,” said ex-Vestas worker Jamie Rigby. Jamie was one of 11 workers sacked for occupying.
Jamie was joined today by supporters from the island community, climate activists and workers from the mainland, who hung banners saying “Wind power to the people” and locked themselves to a crane loading blades onto the BBC Ohio in Empress Dock. Others occupied the so-called ‘Blade Runner’ Barge which is needed to fetch the remaining blades from the St Cross factory in Newport. They had a banner which read, “Our blades, Our power”.
On the crane at Empress Dock, Jackie Sheedy said, “ After the factory occupation ended, Vestas and the government hoped we’d all just quieten down. But we’re united in this blockade. The island workers need those jobs, and we all need them if we want even a chance of combating climate change for our children.”
Speaking by phone from the occupied Blade Runner barge, Robin Sivapalan, a Unison member from the group Workers' Climate Action, said “Workers like Jamie were victimised and robbed of their redundancy pay for taking a stand on behalf of all of us. If Vestas want the blockade lifted, they had better start talking about re-instatement and terms. And if the government want the protests to end they had better drop the greenwash and start taking some real action for a renewable power industry in this country”.
Workers and supporters protest on 17 September
Vestas workers and supporters gathered at Church Litten park in Newport on 17 September for the second national day of action called by the campaign. They marched through the town to St James's Square. After that several demonstrators went to Newport police station, where two of the people on the march had been taken after being arrested on the march for alleged breach of the bail conditions imposed on them after they were arrested during the occupation of the cranes in Southampton docks.
