car industry
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in manufacturing, research and development, mining and materials around the world.
Sacked union convenor reinstated at Linamar Swansea
Rob Williams, the union convenor sacked at the Linamar plant in Swansea, has been reinstated just hours before plant workers were due to go on strike.
Workers at the Linamar (formerly Visteon) plant were due to begin strike action at 6am this morning. Workers had overwhelmingly voted in support of an indefinite 'all-out' strike, with the chief demand being the reinstatment of their fellow worker and union convenor. The vote had an 88% turn-out.
Report and reflections on the UK Ford-Visteon dispute 2009 - a post-Fordist struggle
A detailed account and analysis of the struggle of Ford-Visteon car manufacturing workers who occupied and picketed their plants after being sacked when their employers declared themselves bankrupt.
In June 2000 Ford Motor Company outsourced the production of certain component parts to a new company called Visteon - in reality a spin off company of Ford and in which Ford retained a 60% holding. Visteon runs factories all over the globe: in America, Europe and Asia, for example.
Linamar workers in Swansea to strike this Thursday
Workers at the Linamar plant in Swansea are set to strike this Thursday in support of sacked union convenor Rob Williams.
Following recent news that workers in Swansea's Linamar (formerly Visteon) plant had overwhelmingly voted in favour of industrial action in support of sacked union convenor Rob Williams, it was announced last week that the indefinite all-out strike is set to begin at 6am Thursday 11 June.
Strikes and lockouts in South Korea
As the economic recession hits South Korea, striking car workers have been locked out of their factory while earlier in the week construction workers go on strike in and around Seoul.
Ssangyong Motor Company has locked striking workers out of its plant to stop them disrupting production at the carmaker, which is in bankruptcy protection.
Unionised workers at the South Korean automaker have been on strike since May 21, demanding management keep the assembly line workforce at current levels in a self-rescue plan the company is devising under a court order.
Swansea Linamar workers to strike in support of sacked convenor
Workers at the Linamar plant in Swansea have voted in favour of an all-out strike in support of sacked union convenor Rob Williams.
Following the sacking of Unite union convenor Rob Williams at the Swansea Linamar plant, other workers have voted to strike to have their colleague reinstated. It is understood that turnout for the vote was 88%, with 139 voting 'yes' in support of the strike, and 19 voting 'no' against it.
A representative from the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) said of the vote:
Workers in South Korea respond to mass redundancies with strike action
Workers at South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor went on strike on Thursday in protest at plans for mass layoffs to save the firm from bankruptcy.
Assembly lines at its plant in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, stopped at 1:30pm, said union spokesman Lee Chang-Geun.
"Management should come to talk with the union on avoiding the proposed massive job cuts," Lee said, adding that the duration of the strike would be decided Friday.
Belfast Ford/Visteon workers vote to accept deal
Ford/Visteon Belfast workers today (Sunday 3rd May) voted 147 to 34 to accept the deal already accepted on Friday by Enfield and Basildon Ford/Visteon workers.
But workers have pledged that the occupation in Belfast, and 24hr pickets in Enfield and Basildon, will continue until the deal is signed, sealed and delivered to their satisfaction. Certain details of the settlement remain to be clarified.
Belfast Visteon workers to vote on new redundancy deal
Visteon car workers in west Belfast are to vote today on whether to accept a deal and end a bitter dispute over the collapse of the factory.
The Unite union said it had agreed improved redundancy terms with the company. The deal includes enhanced payments for redundancy, as well as compensation in lieu of notice and holiday pay.
Picket of Visteon administrators KPMG - this Friday Mayday
There will be a picket of KPMG UK headquarters - the Visteon administrators overseeing the withholding of workers' pensions and redundancies - this Friday from 3pm-5pm. Please try and make it if you can and let other people know too. It is going to be at that time so people can go from the Mayday march (1pm from Clerkenwell Green to Trafalgar Sq.) to it afterwards, as it is quite nearby.
The KPMG address is:
KPMG
8 Salisbury Square
London
EC4Y 8BB
Nearest station; Blackfriars
Swansea union convenor sacked for supporting Ford/Visteon workers
A union convenor at the Linamar Plant in Swansea, formerly owned by Ford Visteon has locked himself in his office after being sacked.
Rob William, a Unite union convenor and vice-chair of National Shop Stewards Network, has been sacked at the Swansea Linamar plant today for supporting the sacked Ford/Visteon workers in Belfast, Basildon and Enfield. The convenor has locked himself in his office at the plant and is refusing to leave.
