SACKED WORKERS at Belfast’s car components factory Visteon have voted to accept better severance terms and to end their month-long occupation of the plant.
According to Unite, the trade union representing workers in the Visteon plant staff have voted by 147 to 34 to accept a settlement which offers enhanced redundancy payments and other terms.
Regional secretary Jimmy Kelly said: “The deal was 10 times what Unite members were being offered originally.
“We have proven that when workers take action and fight back they will get treated with respect. We are in a period when workers’ rights and employment rights generally are under attack. The clear message is to get organised – join the union because collectively we have the strength to deliver the respect that workers are entitled to. As individuals employers will be able to pick off workers and their rights one by one.”
He added: “The deal which was voted on was brought about through the determination of the workforce, backed up by our union organisation across Unite, supported by the families and the politicians in the community where our members work and live and through the solidarity from the trade union movement here in Belfast, across the rest of Northern Ireland and the Republic.”
The majority of the sacked workers will leave Visteon on better terms, but a small number will lose out because of the new deal. Many workers will get one year’s pay while some will receive six months’ pay.
Unite union general secretary Tony Woodley said: “The factory went into administration with five minutes’ notice, the administrators were going to give our people statutory redundancy pay,” he said.
“We worked our socks off. Without all of this effort we wouldn’t be having 23 people disappointed, we would be having 610 people disappointed. Twenty-three people would have had two weeks’ pay, now it’s at least six months’ pay.”
Visteon manufactures parts for Ford, which sold off its components division in 2000.
The job losses were announced last month in a week which saw Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector lose nearly 1,400 jobs or 2 per cent of its workforce. Significant job losses were also announced by Bombardier, Nortel and FG Wilson. The action by Visteon workers included rallies to the car components plant in west Belfast and to Belfast City Hall.