A legal attempt to remove workers from the Visteon plant in west Belfast was yesterday adjourned at the High Court for the second time in a week on Friday.
Administrators KPMG are seeking an eviction order to take possession of the plant which has been occupied since March 31, when 210 workers were sacked at ten minutes notice, along with workers at plants in Enfield, north London, and Basildon, Essex.
The Belfast court’s judge said yesterday the occupiers needed more time to organise their case against eviction and adjourned the case until May 6.
A group of Visteon workers held a protest outside the High Court.
Unite convenor John McGuire told News Line: ‘This is what we expected.
‘There’s speculation that there were legal complications.
‘Everybody is in high spirits now.
‘This means they can’t attempt a forced entry before May 6.
‘We’ll be here whatever happens.
‘The people in Belfast are staying until they get justice – until Ford re-opens the plant and sorts out the mess it’s left us in.
‘The most important thing is jobs.’
Enfield Visteon Unite shop stewards have issued ‘Enfield Plant News’ leaflets.
These inform: ‘Union representatives from Basildon, Belfast and Enfield plants met with national officials at the Unite headquarters in Holborn (on Tuesday) this week.
‘The Belfast factory is still occupied by workers whilst 24/7 pickets are being maintained at Basildon and Enfield.
‘The video conference with John Fleming, chairman and CEO Ford Europe, on Monday, produced little positive news.
‘So to increase the pressure on Ford, to honour its promise to us, workers from all three plants will be picketing Ford dealerships nationwide to point out to people that they are buying cars from a company that doesn’t keep its promises’.
Meanwhile, Unite is seeking to lodge a claim against KPMG at an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal, on behalf of all of its members at Visteon.
