Eviction notice served on Vestas occupiers

August 6, 2009

An eviction notice has been served on the occupiers remaining in the Vestas factory in Newport, Isle of Wight, England, occupiers confirm. The eviction notice states that police will remove the occupiers at noon BST tomorrow, August 7.

The occupiers of the Vestas factory have pledged to go peacefully when the police enter. Only six occupiers are believed to remain in the building, of the original 25. "Mike", speaking from inside the occupation, said that the six remaining workers have no plans to leave until the police enter the factory, but also noted that protesters gathered outside the factory will try to stop them, without physical confrontation. "We're getting everyone in town down here &mdash; workers, family, trade union members."

While the occupiers remain short of food, Mike describes their situation as "fine. We're used to it now."

Mike expressed hope that police and the law would treat them leniently, as took place at the end of the Thomas Cook occupation in Dublin, Ireland earlier this week. The police have been "very friendly. We can't fault them" noted Mike, who pointed out that occupiers leaving the factory have not even been cautioned.

After the eviction takes place the occupiers plan to continue fighting the company, first joining the demonstrators and then speaking around the country. "We will carry on even when we are taken out of here. We will continue to fight this. We aren't just going to give up."

The occupiers, all employees of Vestas, began their sit-in on July 20 after Vestas announced plans to shut down production of wind turbines in Northern Europe, at the cost of 575 jobs in Newport and over 1400 jobs elsewhere in England and in Denmark. Mike says that other wind turbine companies have invited the Vestas Newport employees to apply for jobs at their locations, but those factories are in other parts of England or Europe and would require the workers to relocate.