Motion for full council meeting on Tuesday 15 September 2009

This motion forms part of the solidarity campaign. Socialist Party councillors and members fully support the Vestas workers' campaign, including stopping the blades leaving the factory. We intend to use this motion to build even more solidarity in Coventry. Already a number of trade union donations have been sent down from branches in the city. A worker from the plant received a very warm welcome at two meetings, of Coventry Socialist Party and Coventry CWU postal workers' union. We support the call for nationalisation and want to do all we can to ensure this demand is raised.

Rob Windsor

This Council believes that targets for increasing the proportion of energy produced in a non-polluting, sustainable way to combat climate change can best be achieved over the next decade via wind, tidal and wave power.

Council therefore deplores the decision of Vestas Wind Systems to close the UK's only wind turbine blade plant in Newport on the Isle of Wight with a loss of over 600 jobs on the island and in Southampton.

Council fully supports the actions of those workers who occupied the factory during the summer, and their continuing campaign to prevent product, plant and equipment from leaving the UK.

Council supports the call for the nationalisation of this factory to retain the skills of the workforce, provide much needed local employment, and as part of the development of a serious green energy strategy for the future, and agrees to forward this motion to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Moved: Cllr Rob Windsor

Seconded: Cllr Dave Nellist