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14 January, 2001Workers and the trade unions are gearing up for a national march and rally on January 20, and a Europe-wide day of action on January 25.
GREAT BRITAIN: As the campaign to save jobs at the General Motors' Vauxhall car plant in Luton grows, workers and trade unions are gearing up for a national march and rally on Saturday, January 20, to be followed by a Europe-wide day of action on January 25.
In mid-December, General Motors announced it would close its Vauxhall car assembly plant in Luton in 2002, with a subsequent loss of 2,000 jobs. The GM European Works Council immediately declared its total rejection of these plans and said that GM Europe employees would stand together and not allow management to split their ranks.
Although leaders of the Transport & General Workers' Union, the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union and the Manufacturing, Science & Finance Union met today, January 15, in Zurich, Switzerland, with the president of GM Europe, no progress was made. They will now seek an urgent meeting with GM's chief executive in Detroit.
A special website -- www.savevauxhalljobs.org.uk -- has been created for organising resistance against GM's decision. This website gives continuously updated information on the Luton situation, as well as an on-line petition to management at General Motors and to Stephen Byers, the British trade and industry minister. The petition demands that GM "reverse its closure decision and engage in constructive and informed negotiations with trade union representatives from its plants worldwide on a plan for future production which will safeguard livelihoods and communities." If they fail to do so, the petition says the UK government must "nationalise Vauxhall without compensation, to safeguard jobs and for it to be run under the democratic control of the workforce."
There has been a trade union call on the British government to make it more difficult for multinationals to lay off British workers with the same strong legislation that protects other workers in Europe. This would include introducing a European Directive that forces employers to negotiate with unions prior to making redundancy decisions.
In mid-December, General Motors announced it would close its Vauxhall car assembly plant in Luton in 2002, with a subsequent loss of 2,000 jobs. The GM European Works Council immediately declared its total rejection of these plans and said that GM Europe employees would stand together and not allow management to split their ranks.
Although leaders of the Transport & General Workers' Union, the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union and the Manufacturing, Science & Finance Union met today, January 15, in Zurich, Switzerland, with the president of GM Europe, no progress was made. They will now seek an urgent meeting with GM's chief executive in Detroit.
A special website -- www.savevauxhalljobs.org.uk -- has been created for organising resistance against GM's decision. This website gives continuously updated information on the Luton situation, as well as an on-line petition to management at General Motors and to Stephen Byers, the British trade and industry minister. The petition demands that GM "reverse its closure decision and engage in constructive and informed negotiations with trade union representatives from its plants worldwide on a plan for future production which will safeguard livelihoods and communities." If they fail to do so, the petition says the UK government must "nationalise Vauxhall without compensation, to safeguard jobs and for it to be run under the democratic control of the workforce."
There has been a trade union call on the British government to make it more difficult for multinationals to lay off British workers with the same strong legislation that protects other workers in Europe. This would include introducing a European Directive that forces employers to negotiate with unions prior to making redundancy decisions.