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Wednesday 29 July 2009

The one to make you angry

The second of two

This is a disgrace.

Today the Danish company Vestas is going to the courts to remove workers from its Isle of Wight factory who have occupied it in protest at the decision to close the factory.

The company make wind turbines. Yes wind turbines, the things that are supposed to help us prevent the earth from heating up to the point that we will all need to grow fins and gills. It is the only factory in the UK that makes wind turbines. We will then be importing from abroad……again.

The Isle of Wight is a small community. It doesn’t have a huge amount of employment that is not seasonal. Unemployment is above the national average and there are around 60 jobseekers for each job centre vacancy.

Plus if renewable energy is the future then what the hell are we doing reducing the capacity to produce turbines in the UK? Its madness, pure madness.

Congratulations to the protestors their friends, families and supporters.

Contempt to the managers who delivered notices of dismissal along with pizza.

But still the warm glow remains.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why isn't there a British company making this product? It does sound from the article that the demand just doesn't exist to justify a plant there.

It is pretty sleazy to fire the protesters. It didn't appear that they were doing any damage. It sounds like the closing could have been handled better, but if it were your money, would you keep a factory open even if it was losing money?

Also -- and I say this as someone who has moved for work six times -- why can't people on the Isle move to where the work is? I mean no disrespect, but I wasn't thrilled about moving to Memphis, Miami, Cedar Rapids, Cincinnati, etc, but that's where they told me I could pick up my paycheck.

I'm not trying to be a bitch about this, but there does not appear to be a business case to keep this factory open. The Danish company has no obligation to provide jobs for British citizens.

What has the British gov't done to promote economic development there? I say this as someone who is furious with the Wisconsin governor, who did nothing to keep Thomas Industries from moving 300 jobs from Wisconsin to Louisiana and is about to lose another 1,200 jobs to Oklahoma. If wind turbines are so important to Britain's future, then why didn't the government step in?

HRD said...

@class-factotum - "If wind turbines are so important to Britain's future, then why didn't the government step in?" That my friend is exactly the question. Either they aren't in which case they should stop bleating on about it. Or they are, in which case they should get on and support British industry.

Apologies for the delay in replying, I've been away.