Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has accused Ford of denying workers' rights after 210 workers at a Belfast car parts plant were laid off.
Workers laid-off by car parts maker Visteon staged an overnight sit-in demanding action to save more than 560 jobs at a plant in Belfast, and at two further plants in England
Some 200 staff face the axe at a plant in west Belfast and last night 100 of the workers stayed at the site overnight.
They claimed the company’s former owner and main customer, Ford, had promised contracts which they now want to see honoured.
Workers are attempting to occupy Visteon car parts factories at Basildon and Enfield in protest at job losses, sources said today.
Union representatives asked the Belfast workers to hold-off on a threat to picket Ford showrooms until more information was available.
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams addressed the workers at the plant last night. He accused those behind the closure of the Visteon factory in West Belfast of a “snatch-and-grab” raid and denying workers’ rights.
Although Visteon operates the plant, the main focus of the workers’ anger was Ford.
They claim that Visteon’s order book is determined by Ford. Workers who said they were once promised a “job for life” with Ford said the least they want is decent Ford redundancy terms.
Mr Adams accused the head of Ford Europe of dodging the issue.
He told the workers: “Ford controlled the purse strings and everything that was happening here. They then have a duty of responsibility towards yourselves.
“There is almost a degree of chicanery involved here, of snatch-and-grab, where they come in, where they give people minimal redundancies as opposed to your full entitlement and terms and conditions.”
He said he had been in contact with New York comptroller Bill Thompson, who has pension funds invested in Ford, about the matter.
Michael Quigley, a process operator at the plant for 33 years, last night said he was prepared to wait in the factory until Ford comes to the table.
“We have to stick this out,” he said. “We have to get Ford involved. We were guaranteed Ford terms and conditions. And they don’t want to know now.” Visteon said the decision to place the UK arm in administration was made after its “substantial losses” left it with no other option.
It has struggled since Visteon was separated from Ford in 2000, with the firm having reported losses totalling Stg £669 million in the years after the split.
Visteon UK employed 173 staff at the Basildon plant, 227 in Enfield and 210 in Belfast. The wider group has a 33,500-strong workforce and operations in 27 countries.
PA