In the middle of the planet's sixth great mass extinction event, when solving the ecological crisis thrown up by Capital's rapacious growth-at-any-cost monomania requires a massive expansion in renewable energy production, the workers at the UK's only wind turbine blade factory are threatened with redundancy. Energy & Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband's pious words in Parliament about meeting future emissions cutting targets stand in stark contrast to the capitalist bean counter's logic that ecologically vital but monetarily unprofitable plant must close.

Climate campers stand shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity with the Vestas workers, struggling to stop the closures and save the planet, and the details of our solidarity will emerge in the fullness of time. Meanwhile, here's a photographic representation of our solidarity.


"Though the government's White Paper on cutting carbon emissions calls for a huge increase in sustainable energy, Vestas is throwing workers and their families on the scrap heap.

Minister Ed Miliband says that Vestas refused to keep the wind turbine factory open even if the Government put in money. The Government should now take over the factory and produce wind turbine blades there under a new management accountable to the workforce.

Now is the time to hold ministers to account, to force them to sit up and take notice of the loss of jobs and livelihoods and sustainable energy production.

Workers at Vestas are getting organised and discussing ways to fight to keep their plant open. Their determination to fight to save their jobs and wind energy production, is growing - in contrast to the government and Vestas management, who clearly aren't serious about either renewable energy or saving jobs.

Miliband promises 40,000 green jobs, let’s make sure that he delivers – starting with the 600 jobs at Vestas."
~ Save Vestas , Subject: 'Save Vestas Blades Campaign Update: Save the factory, save the Isle of Wight, save the world!'


"What you can do
Send messages of support from yourself or your organisation to  savevestas@googlemail.com.
Send a donation from your trade-union or other organisation, or make a personal donation: cheques payable to Ryde and East Wight Trades Union Council, 22 Church Lane, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 2NB
Petition energy minister Ed Miliband. His e-address is  milibande@parliament.uk. His phone number in his Doncaster constituency is 01302 875 462, and at Westminster, 020 7219 4778. Flood him with calls for the Government to take over the Vestas factory and keep it producing, under new management.
Organise a visible demonstration of solidarity. Take a photo with a placard that reads “Save Vestas” and email the photo to  savevestas@gmail.com."
~ Save 600 jobs at Vestas wind turbine factories! –  http://savevestas.wordpress.com


Links & Whatever Next?

Save Vestas
» messages of support & solidarity photos –  savevestas@gmail.com
» website –  http://savevestas.wordpress.com
• MEETING: Wed 22 Jul 09, 18:30-20:30, at the Methodist Church Hall, Quay Street, Newport
• We are setting up a campaign for Vestas workers’ families and Isle of Wight residents to show their support for keeping jobs at Vestas. The families and communities campaign will be very important in keeping spirits up through this stressful time. For more details call 07775 763750.
» leaflet –  http://savevestas.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/families-and-community-campaign.pdf
• PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION – Come to St Thomas Square in Newport at 17:30 on Fri 24 Jul 09 where we will be making a very public display of how we feel about the Vestas closures!
» leaflet –  http://savevestas.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/leaflet-for-demo-1.pdf

Climate Camp
• Education, Movement Building, Sustainable Living and Direct Action
• Team Up ~ Get Trained ~ Take Action – for humanity & our biosphere need you
• Climate Camp Scotland – Mon 3–Mon 10 Aug 09 @ the Firth of Forth
»  http://climatecampscotland.org.uk
• Climate Camp Wales – Thu 13–Sun 16 Aug 09 @ Merthyr Tydfil
»  http://climatecampcymru.org
• Climate Camp England – Thu 27 Aug–Wed 02 Sep 09 @ Greater London
»  http://climatecamp.org.uk


Up the Revolution,

Tim Dalinian Jones


Footnotes

This photo is 'CopyLeft'
This means you are free to copy and distribute it, under the following license:
• Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License
»  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
» Accreditation:  tim.dalinian.jones@gmail.com