Good to see members of the Visteon Pensioners Action Group up once again in parliament, this time in celebration of the final outcome with Ford agreeing to enter into constructive and binding talks to settle claims for losses with a multi million pound deal for Visteon pensioners.
Along with MPs with constituents affected from the former Visteon factories in Swansea, Essex and Northern Ireland, Nia has been campaigning for Ford to honour their moral responsibilities to their former employees who suffered pension losses of up to 50% when Visteon UK was hived off from Ford in 2000. Nia has been blunt in parliamentary debate in her criticism of Ford for the way this was done.
The VPAG members conveyed this message to MPs, “ We’d to thank MPs for your contribution to the satisfactory closure of this long running struggle. On that dark day of 11th May 2010, when we were informed that the Visteon Pension trustees, The Pensions Regulator and the board of the PPF had decided to withdraw its claims against Visteon Corporation, we feared that the fight was lost. But the combination of Parliamentary pressure, the threat of legal action and the sheer determination of our members has shown just what can be achieved. Over the last 5 years we have been heartened by your dedication, the cross party group of MPs has without doubt formed a pivotal part of the campaign, and we are proud to have been associated with this demonstration of democracy at its finest.
Nia Griffith MP responded,
“As MPs we did our bit to publicise the issues and put pressure on Fords but the determination of VPAG and the work done by Unite the Union in taking on the legal fight were crucial. We need to remind people how vital it is to belong to a union, and we must do everything we can to protect trade union rights from the onslaught by those on the right. In unity there is strength. Mewn undeb mae nerth. ”