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Publication Date: August 3 2009
At the weekend, RMT made a formal complaint to the police under the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act calling for them to take action to stop Vestas private security guards from blockading food deliveries into the factory. On Saturday, RMT officials were allowed to take in a supply of groceries but by Sunday the company were back to the hard line and restricting food deliveries to what RMT has described as “starvation rations.”
The formal complaint to the police has today been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service. RMT has confirmed that the union will look at taking out an injunction if adequate supplies are not reinstated after concerns were raised that some of the occupants are showing signs of malnourishment. One protester has already had to leave following advice from health professionals.
Meanwhile, RMT has seized on financial press reports at the weekend that Centrica are due to announce plans for a £1 billion wind farm off Skegness, which will be supplied with turbines from Germany, as “blowing apart the totally bogus argument that Vestas on the Isle of Wight is being closed due to a lack of demand for wind turbines in the UK.”
Bob Crow, general secretary of Vestas’ workers union RMT, said today:
“It’s a disgrace that Vestas and their private security company are still playing cat and mouse over food supplies into the factory. This brave bunch, who are fighting for their livelihoods and for the future of turbine manufacture in England, are being treated far worse than the prisoners just up the road at Parkhurst who are legally entitled to three square meals a day.
“We welcome the support of the TUC today for this campaign to save 625 green manufacturing jobs and the future of wind turbine production in England. 2700 turbines will be needed by 2012 on current projections and reports of the Centrica plans off Skegness will only increase the opportunities.
“RMT are calling for an urgent government intervention to save the plant and to show the country that they are walking the talk when it comes to green jobs and renewable energy.
A deal to rescue the Kintyre turbine factory was done with the support of the Scottish Parliament earlier this year when Vestas pulled the plug – the same could be done again.”
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