17 September 2009
Throughout the country today actions are taking place in solidarity with the workers of the Vesta Blades factory on the Isle of Wight. This morning the offices of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) was targetted by protesters who dropped banners and built a mini windfarm in the lobby. SEEDA is being pressured to withdraw £3m of public money they’ve said they’ll give Vestas for a R&D facility despite the Danish company pulling its manufacturing from the UK. Tonight there will be a protest at the Department of Environment and Climate Change, in Whitehall Place, central London.
PRESS RELEASE – CHATHAM OFFICES IN WIND POWER PROTESTS
SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) offices in Chatham, Kent where today visited by protesters, as part of a national day of action for Vestas wind turbine workers.
Occupying the lobby of the building after hanging banners from the balcony of the top floor, the protesters built a mini wind farm on the development agency’s model of the Medway estuary.
Paper windmills were handed to workers along with a satirical guide on building windmills, which instructed SEEDA to cut up the contracts promising to give Vestas money for nothing.
Pressure is mounting on SEEDA to withdraw the offer of £3 million (part of £10 million of public money being given toVestas by the government) unless the Danish multinational stand aside and allow their closed factory on the Isle of Wight to continue to be used for turbine blade manufacture.
Vestas closed the factory to move production to the U.S. and slashing 600 green UK jobs. The workers then occupied the factory and are demanding that the government nationalise the facilities, the only significant blade manufacturing plant in this country.
“By failing to act on the closure of the Vestas Blades factory, and supporting a return to outdated coal power (like Eon’s Kingsnorth proposal), the Government is showing it currently has no serious commitment to building a low carbon economy or preventing catastrophic runaway climate change.” Anastazja Jarek, Kingsnorth Climate Action Medway
“Vestas workers have fought magnificently to save jobs and essential wind turbine manufacturing in Britain. The government say that Vestas have refused to sell them the factory, yet it is still rewarding Vestas with public money through SEEDA. The government needs to stop pussyfooting around big corporations and take serious action to provide jobs and prevent catastrophic climate change.” – Steve Wilkins, Medway Trades Council
tippingpointmedway@gmail.com