Author: Sal
Vestas Protest: Picnic in the Job Centre: Update 2 (video and photos)
Monday, 17th August, 2009 at 12:19 pm, Isle of Wight
Green Issues, Newport, Vestas Sit-In
A group of ex-Vestas workers and their supporters were met with resistance by security guards at JobCentrePlus at noon today.
One of the ex-Vestas workers trying to enter the building to see an advisor was manhandled by a security guard as other guards attempted to block entry to the building.
Staff at JobCentrePlus agreed that they were happy for the group to enter the building and have a picnic in the foyer area.
We have exclusive video footage of those trying to gain entry which will follow later on VB.
In the meantime, there are 15 or so people enjoying peanut butter sandwiches and hot tea with more people arriving every few minutes to join the picnic.
Ex-Vestas workers are hoping to make appointments to speak to advisors about getting green jobs on the Isle of Wight.
Click on the images below to see larger version
Thanks to Anna from Nottingham from some of the internal shots
UPDATE: It’s worth pointing out that this was the first time that we’d seen any form of trouble at a Vestas Protest. It was also clear that the physical restrictions weren’t being carried out by the Vestas protesters, but on them.
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Police happy for food to go in to Vestas.... - Vestas Protest: Marine Gate Blockade Moved by Police (photos) UPDATE 2
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That must be fun for other people looking for jobs
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Can the protesters not see they have little more to gain in demonstrating on the island? If they carry on the tide of support will surely turn against them.
FACT: 400-odd Vestas employees have now been made redundant.
FACT: Most of them need to move on with their lives, put this behind them and seek other employment
FACT: The local Vestas managers will also be redundant once everything is in place – what’s the point of protesting to them?
FACT: The “Exit Team” are doing a job sorting out finances, personnel issues, redundant equipment etc. After that they too will be redundant
FACT: There is a prototype facility being opened up – that hasn’t happened as a result of the protests, it was already on the cards. Surely this could be the foothold upon which Vestas will be able to re-establish a full blown factory on the Isle of Wight if the UK/Northern European markets pick up.
BUT …. If you were the head honcho at Vestas Denmark, how reluctant would you be to invest back in the Isle of Wight after the upheaval over the last few weeks and if the preparation needed to open the new facility is obstructed ……?
The UK sorely needs green energy but it seems to me that the purpose of these protests has become more and more vague and they do not seem to be directed at any area that can actually do anything to change things!
Demonstrating at the Job Centre, an organisation who have bent over backwards to support those being made redundant will acheive what, exactly?? Save for giving the rent-a-mob protesters who don’t actually give a darn about the island a different view for a day or two?
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i like the concept or ‘rent-a-mob’ – if they are for rent – who is paying them? The protest at the job centre was totally peacful ,did not in any way have an impact on the staff or the service users, was in fact there in part to support the job centre workers who are under staffed and under valued and highlighted the fact that there are now an additional 500 islanders now signing on. If you are not witnessing these events, I suggest that you are careful about making accusations of ‘mobs’ being involved, these are civilised people standing up for their rights to a job in a profitable company and to highlight the debate on green energy, not to cause disruption, which they didn’t.
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Windy Ridge says protesters have “little more to gain in demonstrating on the island?” Well as the sacked protesters are now going to get their jobs reinstated, I’d say that might not be true. I’d also say that the lady giving out cups of tea and fairy cakes couldn’t be that “wholly unpleasant” unless I don’t understand what unpleasant means.
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I doubt their jobs are being reinstated – they’ll be very lonely trying to work in a factory that has been closed down!
If you mean their redundancy package will be honoured – I wonder if they consider that is much of a victory as they implied from the start that it wasn’t worth having!
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Get real life does not revolve solely around this Island and what you see to be the issues here.
The Island, if you hadn’t noticed, is part of the UK and these participants do not require your approval to take part in what was a peaceful, legal protest. The only trouble makers present were the bully boy thugs of security guards, hell bent on provoking confrontation.
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How many of that bunch stopping the unemployed getting jobs were Vestaa employees and how many “supporters”?
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There was only one ex-vestas employee at the picnic in the Jobcentre!!!!!!!
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Not sure what you’re basing that on windymiller as it’s completely untrue. There were several ex-vestas workers there.
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There were certainly more supporters than ex-staff.
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There was only ‘One Winston Churchill!!’ But look how he mustered the support of the country behind him. Therefore, if only One Vestas Worker attended…..Why were you not there to support him!? As your presence would help swell the number of supporters they already have.
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I think you will find that the protest are not only taking place on the island but all over the country. Today the Vestas workers are in discussions with the Isle of Wight Council, in a few weeks there will be a TUC conference which will be attended by the workers, there will also be protests and conferences in Brighton in September for the Labour Party conferences, on September the 17th there will be a huge National Action Day which has support from all the unions. So as you can see just because you are only hearing about island activities this does not mean these guys are not still hard at work and succeeding in putting pressure on the Government for green jobs in the local economy. Any campaign takes time and effort it was never going to be a quick victory.
The workers have everything to gain by creating awareness on the island they have collected thousands of signatures from residents and this number is still growing. As for targeting the Job Centre this was not to cause disruption, this was target a group of residents that are central to this campaign. Job Centre interviews carried on as normal as the guys campaigning fully respect the confidentiality involved in the process, and just approcahed those that were willing to entre discussion.
Fact: There are no jobs on the island for these guys to move onto and find other employment
Fact: The majority of the Vestas Managers have gained new employment within the new R&D Plant. The ones who have not would give a great deal of strength to the campaign as hold skills in leadership that is always greatly valued.
Fact:The campaign is not against the exit team as workers they fully understand that they need to earn a living but once they reach the end of their contracts maybe they will begin to feel that they would to join the protest.
Fact: The campaign is against Vestas successfully withdrawing from the factory with ease whilst redundancies are in the process of being appealed.
Fact: The Research and Development facility will still be opening.
BUT.. do the Isle of Wight residents want Vestas to return to the island when they have shown a blatant disrespect in the treatment of their employees? Should the island not welcome other green energy companies which have already shown an interest in taking Vestas place?
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There were several Ex vestas workers at the Job Centre the rest are either round the country at conferences, around the rest of the isand gaining signatures and distributing leaflets, preparing for important meetings or spending just a little quality time with their families which i think they deserve after their efforts!
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I’ve just watched the video – absolutely appalling behaviour from so called protesters. I’m ex- Vestas and I saw only 1 or 2 ex Vestas staff. The awful and wholly unpleasant woman organising this nastiness was, I can assure you, nothing to do with Vestas staff.
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We witnessed no ‘nastiness’ at the Job Centre (apart from the apparent manhandling of a couple of people by security guards). I am not sure what you are basing your comments on.
People were simply trying to enter the building to take part in the peaceful picnic. They were there with the blessing of the JCP staff who sympathise fully with those who have lost their jobs.
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Sal thank you so much for covering this and continuing to support the Vestas workers. Some of the comments on here seem to imply that ex workers and those that support them should simply roll over and accept the actions of Vestas.
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seriously, the only sign of nastiness was from the security staff – watch the video again, they may not have been vocal but they were physical. The so-caled ‘nasty’ woman was, by contrast, vocal but totally polite in all other respects. She did not swear, threaten anyone (except with reporting them to the the police) and kept the whole thing a peaceful protest.
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Firstly, the job centre security staff have given up their weekends for no enhanced pay, so that Vestas staff can sort out there claims. JCP staff have been at Vestas for months to help in any what they could. Vestas staff have been given free training for HGV licenses, free training for SIA security badges. They have been bought new suits for interviews…..did they do that for Woolworths staff, or anybody else??
The security at the JCP are there to protect the staff & public. Being “charged at” by these people, is going to make the security defensive. They could have had anything on them, that could have endangered the people inside. Furthermore this is a Government building that does NOT allow cameras & mobile phone footage to be taken.
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Well ‘Rob’ since becoming an ex-Vestas worker its apparent you have now become an Armchair Critic who can only sit and complain about the very good work the others are doing Such a shame you cannot muster the same amount of energy to physically attend all the rallies, then you would be aware of exactly who the lady is that was leading the others into the Job Centre. If everyone took the same stance as yourself – Unwilling to persnally participate in the fight for workers rights on the Island, and world-wide there would be far more workers unemployed than there are tdate.
So why not drag your sorry arse out there and join in the ‘Vestas Workers Rallies!!’
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Tigger, this is a Blog, we are all armchair critics – that is the whole point!! If Rob has just lost his job then he is more entitled than most to voice his opinion on how the protesters are campaigning on the ex-employees behalf??
Free country and all that??
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Maybe Rob – and other ex-employees – are investing their energy in searching for other jobs or training to take a new direction rather than join a futile demonstrations for jobs that have already been lost?
Or isn’t that what it’s about any more? I’ll confess to becoming slightly confused as the agenda seems ro be ever-changing and seems to have been hi-jacked by the unions, socialists etc.
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179 jobs available, 3 and half thousand unemployed, no amount of energy and re-training is gonna make that work, but best of luck to those guys brave enough to stand up and fight for something better.
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For anyone wondering why we are still fighting for green jobs in this country, this extract was taken from The Guardian:
“America’s oil, gas and coal industry has increased its lobbying budget by 50%, with key players spending $44.5m in the first three months of this year in an intense effort to cut off support for Barack Obama’s plan to build a clean energy economy.
The spoiler campaign runs to hundreds of millions of dollars and involves industry front groups, lobbying firms, television, print and radio advertising, and donations to pivotal members of Congress. Its intention is to water down or kill off plans by the Democratic leadership to pass “cap and trade” legislation this year, which would place limits on greenhouse gas emissions.”
Everyone involved may have different reasons for being involved, but the end result is the same, if we can stop idiots like these investing millions in making sure we keep polluting!
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You are entitled to your opinion, but the woman you have made your nasty comments about is a genuinely nice and considerate person. She has supported the Vestas workers throughout their campaign and protested peacefully at the job centre. The whole campaign has been peaceful. So before you make your nasty, not needed, pathetic comments, take a good look in the mirror of yourself as a person.
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It is good to see that the protests have been largely peaceful as promised – though I have heard reports from Vestas employees that some of the external groups were initially keen to provoke them and then stood well back.
However, I’d imagine there will be a good number of folk who would feel a degree of intimidation in having to pass a group of protesters on their way to sign on, no matter how peaceful and good natured that group might be!
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i was at the demo yesterday and i am an islander who supports the vestas workers and i walked in with so called nasty woman and i can inform you that you ar 100% wrong, we all acted in a correct manner, did not stop the jodcentre staff doing their duties nor stop any members of the public coming and signing on, some of them even had a drink and food and wished us all the best of luck.
it must be hard for you to be positive but the vestas workers and all of us who support them are working hard and looking to the future.
good luck to you
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I’m still very positive. I’m applying for jobs, I’m clearing out the attic and putting the contents up for sale on Ebay, I’m joining internet forums and having rows with total strangers, I’m catching up with a few jobs at home, I’m resting a little in my armchair and offering a little criticism to the world. Good luck in your campaign, I’ve moved on.
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Frankly…I’m just fed up with the whole thing
and before anybody starts, I was at both Poll Tax riots, protested at various road developements and actively campaigned about a number of things.
But this has just gone the course and is now being milked
Good luck in finding new jobs and good night
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Let it be known that by the reaction of the staff that day. That they were not aware that this was goi9ng to happen and looked very flustered and concered to me. I was trying to see an advisor that day and all this did was gewt in the way as people at the front desk demonstrating were sprawled all over the walkway and reception. this let to staff trying to deal with me to become very distracted and in turn unable to help me to my full potential.
In my eyes the protest should of been outside the job centre entrance. The security have every right in the world to use light physical force to remove people from a building if they wil not go when asked. it was hardly violent.
The police then turned up and liased with the security.
this protest was just a nusance to jobseekers trying to work and staff as well
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