Visteon dispute close to resolution

A resolution to the Visteon car factory dispute appeared close tonight after sacked workers were offered a redundancy deal that union bosses claim is worth 10 times their original package.

Union leaders hailed the renewed offer from the employers as a great victory for the workforce.

Visteon, a Ford spin-off company, closed three loss-making components plants in Belfast, Basildon, Essex, and Enfield, north London at the end of March. The 610-strong UK workforce was laid off.

Sacked staff have been staging protests since the announcement, with workers at the Belfast plant continuing a sit-in occupation at their former factory. Ford showrooms have also been picketed.

Tonight Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley said Visteon had offered workers a much-improved offer. Staff will now vote on whether they want to accept it.

“This is a tremendous victory for these workers, and a demonstration to workers everywhere that when you fight for justice you can win,” he said.

“The deal now on the table is a massive improvement from where we started, which was 610 men and women thrown on the dole with only the expectation of basic state redundancy pay.

“By going beyond even what Ford workers themselves can expect in redundancy pay, Visteon has acknowledged the loyalty and commitment this workforce has shown towards both the company and to Ford before that.”

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

A worker at Visteon in west Belfast sounded a note of caution about the offer but said staff would consider it.

“There are an awful lot of discussions going on in the plant at the minute,” he said.

“We were guaranteed Ford terms and conditions and those are not Ford terms and conditions as we are losing our pensions.

“No matter if this is perceived as a victory by the union, people on more money will be getting bigger redundancy and people with short service will be getting less but if that is as close as we are going to get we are going to have to decide whether to accept this or to continue the struggle.”

A vote in the Belfast plant is expected on Sunday.