Brighton Vestas Support Meeting

Vestas factory occupier to speak in Brighton

In early July 2009, only hours after the government had pledged to build 10,000 wind turbines by 2010, Vestas announced the closure of its wind turbine factory in Newport on the Isle of Wight, with the loss of over 600 jobs and 100 related jobs in Southampton.

A group of workers responded by occupying the Newport factory for two weeks, and are now staging a blockade of the factory to prevent the removal of the turbine blades, which the company wishes to ship to the United States.

A nationwide campaign, of which the Brighton Vestas Supporters' Group is a part, has been launched to support the workers involved, and to build the political pressure to ensure that the factory on the island is re-opened and manufacturing the equipment we need to harness the green energy of the future.

This is your chance to hear the inside story on the occupation and reasons for it from one of the workers involved.

The occupation at Vestas is part of a growing pattern of occupations and industrial action, set against the backdrop of the current economic and environmental crises. The meeting will also hear contributions from those involved in a number of these actions, in Brighton & Hove and beyond.