factory occupied in scotland ...
Feb 2 2007 21:58
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6323559.stm
Quote:
During a protest outside the Kilwinning site, the factory doors were opened and up to 60 workers ran inside. The protesters, who are members of the trade union Community, said they would not leave until they were offered better redundancy packages. By the evening about 20 former employees remained in the factory.
Tommy fucking Sheridan and Rosie Byrne are negotiating for them apparently. i wonder if sheridan will offer to 'name names' 
Feb 3 2007 10:42
#2
perhaps ... the local labour MP has backed the occupation too, so that certainly signals the cops to go softly-softly. i just checked with my trainee-administrator flatmate, and apparently in England redundancy pay has a 'preferential claim' ahead of shareholders/creditors when assets are sold off, but presumably this isn't the case in scotland if they're occupying the factory. something seems a bit odd about it though.
Feb 3 2007 13:10
#3
Just saw this on google news. Will hopefully get real information later, but what I got so far:
* Simclar is a small Dunfermline (Scotland) based transnational electronics manufacturer.
* Their Irvine factory is being closed to move jobs to Dunfermline, China, and Mexico (where they also have plants already). That's good for the parent firm, but not for the workers or wider community.
* The Irvine plant is profitable - which makes this factory occupation have a good chance of success (often such things have no chance before they start because the firms have ceased to be viable anyway).
* It's workers are only being offered the bare minimum employment law defined redundancy:
Quote:
1½ week’s pay for each complete year of employment when you were aged 41 or over
1 week’s pay for each complete year of employment when you were aged between 22-40 inclusive
½ week’s pay for each complete year of employment when you were aged under 22.
which is almost nothing, and so are demanding a proper redundancy package.
* Hopefully they'll also demand more - especially that the factory be kept oopen under another capitalist firm or (better) under worker or community ownership a la Zanon. Because it's profitable already, that should be feasible, although a lot would depend on the potential source of orders (that they not all be tied up to the current parent group).
* They'll be a lot of support from all sectors of Scottish society for the workers here - labour party, trade unions, media, even the business community - which is probably different from the reaction other countries would have. Saying that, it will mostly be sympathy rather than action (although probably a lot of scope for donations of money if an official fund is set up.).
* I'd guess the workers will have to keep up the occupation for many weeks to get any serious demands met - because they will need some government intervention and the international financial community really don't like to see things like that happening.
Don't know yet if the workers plan to keep it going or will only keep it going for this weekend.
EDIT - One press report however says that although Irivine and Kilwinning plants were profitable, the recent closure of a local NCR plant would change that (because they had a lot of business with NCR). http://circuitsassembly.com/cms/cms/content/view/4419/95/
Feb 3 2007 13:29
#4
We're just getting a carload together to head down there. Mostly wobblies but taking anyone available.
We could really do with more information and updates as the situation changes. And any other practical help that anyone can think of.
Post back on here if you can think of anything and someone with my mobile number will call me if necessary.
Feb 3 2007 16:00
#5
^Good stuff.
How did Sheridan come to negotiate for them as opposed to their union rep?
Feb 3 2007 16:16
#6
Volin wrote:
^Good stuff.How did Sheridan come to negotiate for them as opposed to their union rep?
raw sexual power.
Feb 3 2007 18:17
#7
Feb 3 2007 22:50
#8
x357997 wrote:
Did the cops not bash in the workers heads becuase of the MSPs?
Joseph K. wrote:
the local labour MP has backed the occupation too, so that certainly signals the cops to go softly-softly
afraser wrote:
They'll be a lot of support from all sectors of Scottish society for the workers here - labour party, trade unions, media, even the business community - which is probably different from the reaction other countries would have. [...] I'd guess the workers will have to keep up the occupation for many weeks to get any serious demands met - because they will need some government intervention [emphasis posi's]
Excelllent demonstration of the total wrongness of anti-electoralism.
Feb 4 2007 00:41
#9
Too tired to post up full report, so here's a bit of cut'n'paste from an email i sent on wobbly list. I've cut out some organisational stuff and things we were told that I don't think are to be widely circulated.
Quote:
5 wobblies go to IrvineThere were about 35 of them on the picket/blockade/standing around stamping feet outside the Simclar factory. Turns out FW Morag had briefly worked as a temp there which was a useful "in" for us, but we just mostly said we were there to show support and offer solidarity and were from the Glasgow branch of the IWW which we didn't go into much detail about beyong it being a union.
Spoke to the mostly women workers who had been made redundant on Monday and were angry, positive and tired.
Letters of solidarity would be very much appreciated, especially from union branches. Too tired to write a callout to be forwarded just now, but maybe other FWs could draft something? Send letters to:
John Steele,
Community,
102 Hamilton St,
Motherwell,
ML1 3DGAlso emails/faxes/letters of anger can be directed to Sam Russell (director) and Gordon Scott (bosser's fixer who has gone to all the factories to be closed down, actually doing the dirty work) of Simclar International - maybe someone
can find contact details, ESPEC fax numbers. In case FWs don't know, free
online faxes can be sent via http://www.tpc.int/Still trying to digest lots of different conflicting options for when to go back, but the general message is that supporters are very welcome and appreciated at any time - you could say you heard about them from IWW - and that night shifts are hard work. Take wood, food, hot drinks etc. Obviously say you're from IWW if you feel comfortable but don't try and recruit - they were a little bit suspicious of us at first and for building trust I think its vital we don't act in anyway that could be seen as parasitical.
A lorry tried to leave this morning, they think laden with machines as the factory is assett stripped - they turned it back and the driver then resigned. They said it was good he had turned back but difficult for him to do anything
else as they know who he is and its a small community....All in all a positive day.
Feb 4 2007 00:54
#10
Volin wrote:
How did Sheridan come to negotiate for them as opposed to their union rep?
He's not - happily he'd already fucked off before we got there. Their union fulltimers were there today and we had a long conversation with them at the end. I've no experience of this sort of thing before, but its a good learning exercise!
We got a seemingly non ironic "keep up the fight, comrades" from the union f/t as we were about to leave which we were non commital about.
We've been careful what we've said we can do. Messages of solidarity from all over the country/internationally would be really welcome and maybe if they felt they'd get support elsewhere they'd feel less need to get into bed with politicians.
Feb 4 2007 01:22
#11
Tacks wrote:
Volin wrote:
^Good stuff.How did Sheridan come to negotiate for them as opposed to their union rep?
raw sexual power.
nothing to do with me
:-0)
Feb 4 2007 01:38
#12
Simclar International Ltd / Simclar Group Ltd
Pitreavie Business Park
Dunfermline
KY11 8UN(Road Map)
Fife
Tel: 01383 735161
Fax: 01383 739986
Internet: www.simclar.com
Sam Russell MBE, Chairman
sam.russell@simclar.com
sales@simclar.com
Feb 4 2007 02:54
#13
The sit-in is over
Quote:
Factory protesters in fresh demoProtesters gather outside Simclar's factory in Irvine
About 20 workers who occupied the Simclar factory in Kilwinning overnight in a protest over job cuts have ended their sit-in.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6326511.stm
Feb 4 2007 14:29
#14
Quote:
The sit-in is over
yes, now it's a blockade. Sherrif officers came round and told them they had 3 days before the police came. They waited a day and then moved to Irvine where the plant machinery is held and are now blockading the entrance to stop the main Irvine plant being asset stripped.
The dispute is by now means over - it's just getting going!
Feb 4 2007 15:30
#15
Fucking awesome,
Feb 4 2007 17:26
#16
posi wrote:
Excelllent demonstration of the total wrongness of anti-electoralism.
Because of one isolated incident where a few MSPs weren't too bad?
The phrase "Clutching at straws" comes to mind
Feb 4 2007 17:27
#17
Hell I didn't see this thread so I started a new one.
Anyway, workers are asking for donations to help with the dispute as they have no income. Donations should be sent to:
Branch Secretary Robert Ferguson, 64 Shore Road, Stevenston, North Ayrshire, KA20 3LP
Cheques should be made payable to: North Ayrshire Community Branch Justice Fund
Feb 4 2007 17:50
#18
Does anyone know much about Community as a union? Are they tied to a political group, independant left, reformist, what?
Not that folks shouldn't support this struggle, which is amazing, but i'm curious.
Feb 4 2007 21:12
#19
Community:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_%28trade_union%29
Dunno too much about Community as a union as a whole but the fulltimers and guys from community at the Irvine plant were pretty approachable and forthcoming with information.
I'm sure I'd have my political differences but it's a pretty small outfit based in manufacturing in the UK, and they claim to be democratic on their website, which may well be true, as far as these things go, as they're pretty wee.
Their general secretary is a guy called, Michael Leahy who also has an OBE, so I doubt he's massively radical. The guys there tho seemed pretty game for a fight here - they weren't pushing for everyone to go home or anything so I'm pretty inclined to just give them the benefit of the doubt, let them, and the workers get on with the struggle, and provide support where it's required.
They said one of the main things that the workers there could be helped by was messages of support and solidarity from individuals and organisations. It's quite a lonely place out there and it'd be good for folk to know, especially as time wears on, that people were rooting for them, sort of thing.
Feb 4 2007 21:23
#20
Community is the old steelworkers' union. Which, when it was the steelworkers' union, had a rep for being fairly right-wing politically.
Dunno 'bout now.
Feb 5 2007 00:26
#21
Yeah - it's an amalgamation between them and a textiles union. As I said the guys on the ground seemed pretty sound. That's as far as I'm concerned here. It's about the workers in the struggle anyway.
If Community can give them a hand during the struggle more power to their elbow (who are we to judge, if they're being handy at the time and it's who the workers want representing them), if not well we'll all be helping out in the ways the actual workers have requested help anyway, I trust, so enough talk about Community and how good or bad they are.
The point is our fellow workers are in struggle here and they need our help in the ways ginger and others have outlined.
Send letters of support to the workers, as outlined above.
Noise up management by sending letters, making phonecalls, faxes, emails, as outlined above.
If anyone can help come along to support workers directly on Wednesday or Thursday, or any other day contact me via PM, ring me on 079 106 279 70, or ring one of the Community people and arrange yourself. Workers are counting on your support.
Sol.,
Nick
[IWW, Central Scotland Organiser]
Feb 5 2007 08:38
#22
Last night at monkey o'clock in the morning (about 4) with the help of the police and following a standoff three lorries left the Irvine plant. There were around 20 workers and supporters there at the time and despite one guy getting pulled up by the cops there were no arrests. The 'recovered' goods will probably be taken to the Simclar plant in Dumfermline. Workers plan on taking a trip to the Dunfermline plant (which isn't unionised) this week to let workers there understand what's going on. The lorry drivers were filmed. We'll see if we can get a few stills. The blockade continues.
Feb 5 2007 09:16
#23
newswire item now here - if anyone has any pics that would be excellent, the only ones i can find on the net are the BBC ones.
Feb 5 2007 09:33
#24
Is the "4 lorries" a typo? Dundee's post says three.
The Joseph K school of falsification.
Feb 5 2007 09:58
#25
d'oh 
- amended
Feb 5 2007 10:30
#26
is this the best that iww and other pacifists can do,gilbly stand by,taking photos.whats wrong with suggesting that the workers take matters into their own hands,and do some asset stripping of their own,unless of course the wobblies involved are the same as the ssp workers,so they will be after votes rather than action.
Feb 5 2007 10:34
#27
odd wrote:
is this the best that iww and other pacifists can do,gilbly stand by,taking photos.whats wrong with suggesting that the workers take matters into their own hands,and do some asset stripping of their own,unless of course the wobblies involved are the same as the ssp workers,so they will be after votes rather than action.
iww is doing solidarity, not taking a lead or try to hijack the situation. They are not directly involved in the struggle, which means that it is down to the workers in the struggle to decide what they want to do. Rest of us can offer solidarity.
So your stab is uncalled for and misses the point royally.
Feb 5 2007 11:00
#28
Quote:
is this the best that iww and other pacifists can do,gilbly stand by,taking photos.whats wrong with suggesting that the workers take matters into their own hands,and do some asset stripping of their own,unless of course the wobblies involved are the same as the ssp workers,so they will be after votes rather than action.
Grow up odd. It was 4 AM. There weren't any wobblies present. I got a call when things were kicking off but there was no way of getting down there as it's effing miles from anywhere, hard to get to and there ain't any trains running from Glasgow to Irvine that time of night, and even if there were it would have taken over an hour to get there. Your charge of pacisism is frankly 'odd'. Is there something about these forums or the nature of UK anarchists that they feel they have to fire random insults whenever they can? You've certainly lost my respect with this crap odd. Well done.
Now the workers themselves decided they'd rather let the lorries past than all get arrested and have to let the lorries past anyway. If there'd be 200 people there and not 20 things might have been a little different but that's life.
Feb 5 2007 11:02
#29
Yeah odd that's a load of bollocks, as JDMF points out.
Dundee or any of the people going there, do you think you might be able to interview any of the workers?
There are a bunch of suggested questions here
Feb 5 2007 12:51
#30
Pity they don't seem to have an office in London, would've been good to do a solidarity demo. Just had a look at their site and outside Scotland they only have offices in the US, Mexico, and China.
Did the cops not bash in the workers heads becuase of the MSPs?