Visteon workers picket Ford showrooms

Visteon car factory workers picketed Ford showrooms in the North today as talks on settling the dispute over job losses at the company were expected to get under way.

Trade union leaders were expected to meet Visteon chiefs in London today for talks after 565 of its 610 strong UK workforce were laid off.

The pickets at Ford outlets in Belfast and Lisburn came after Visteon last month closed three components plants in Belfast, Basildon, Essex, and Enfield, north London.

Visteon was set up in 2000 as a Ford spin-off and took over factories formerly owned by the car giant.

Staff are demanding it reopens the plants or, if not, honours the redundancy terms and conditions they had as Ford workers.

Today representatives of the union Unite were expected to meet Visteon in London, but workers from Belfast said they feared they would not be allowed to rake part in the negotiations.

Spokesman for the Belfast workers John Maguire said he and three colleagues travelled to London for the talks, but may not be allowed to take part, with negotiations more likely to take place between senior Unite figures and the company.

“We want the plant reopened, we have a full order book and are ready,” he said.

Today’s pickets at Ford showrooms were the second such protests by the Belfast workers who continue to stage a sit-in at the Visteon plant in the west of the city.

Mr Maguire said: “If this isn’t sorted out we plan to step up the protests.”

He said no offer of a deal had been made and said talks had yet to open.