4,000 undocumented migrant workers strike and occupy in paris 27 10 2009 - by Antoine Boulangé

A new wave of strikes by undocumented migrant workers began on 12th October. The striking workers, greater in number than in April 2008, are determined to win regularisation for all. But to do that, they need solidarity from all workers.

“Colonised yesterday – exploited today - tomorrow regularised”

That is the slogan of the thousands of undocumented migrant workers who are taking part in the new strike wave, initiated by the unions (CGT, CFDT, SUD, FSU and UNSA) and associations (Ligue des droits de l’homme, Cimade, RESF [Education Without Borders Network], Femmes Égalité, Autremonde, Droits devant!! etc.) Since 12th October the movement has not stopped growing, from 1,000 on the first day to 3,000 a week later.

There has been a qualitative and quantitative leap from the strike wave of April 2008, which involved 600 workers and won 2,000 regularisations. Over a period of a few days, over 700 “isolated” workers, employed on a temporary basis by unscrupulous employment agencies, invaded the Synergie and Adecco agency offices in Paris.

Ford Visteon Enfield Workers Occupation - Alan Woodward In this report workers and supporters are referred to by initial or first name on the “no names , no pack drill” basis unless they have specifically given permission to be named in full. The complete story of the occupation would be a long book, which will have to be written up later, as it would include, much more on the background , all the documents and the actual details of my diary kept from minute one, and the ongoing future for the car industry...That said the document is obviously based on factual information from the factory.

As heads of state met in London this week to argue about how much money they should give to the bankers who caused the current economic depression, workers took direct action, pointing towards a different way out of the crisis. Sacked auto workers at the Visteon car-parts factory in Enfield continue to occupy their factory despite the arrival of bailiffs at the site early this afternoon. The workers occupied their workplace on Wednesday morning after they were fired without wages due and redundancy pay.

Statement from occupied factory workers http://london.indymedia.org.uk/search/by_tag/visteon

Ford Visteon workers have occupied the Ponders End factory since Wednesday 1st April. The previous day in a meeting lasting just 6 minutes we were told that the European company, with plants in Belfast, Basildon and Ponders End, Enfield, was going into administration and that we were to leave - without our wages being paid. Personal possessions could be collected the next day, but at 10 o'clock the factory was locked closed.

During the global financial crisis Bosses lie that sacrifice now will result in job security and better wages later. This has has been disproved once more at Visteon: "Workers had been put on 1, 2, or 3 day shifts since November - led to believe such a sacrifice would help pull the company thru hard times - a now familiar story we shall hear more frequently as more workplaces move towards closure." http://libcom.org/forums/news/workers-occupy-visteon-factory-31032009

“Don’t wait for politicians and people high up in the unions- just do it yourself”, Unite shop steward John McGuire.