Vindicated trade unionist Rob Williams thanks PCS for our support in securing his reinstatement in what is an important victory
On 11 June after a hard-fought grassroots campaign supported by your union and others I was reinstated in my job at the Linamar car parts factory in Swansea.
Management at the plant, formerly owned by Visteon and before that Ford, had summarily sacked me in April for what they described as an "irretrievable breakdown of trust".
What they called a breakdown of trust, I call carrying out my duties as the elected Linamar convenor for the Unite union.
It began when I was called in and told I was sacked with immediate effect – no investigation; no disciplinary process; no appeal.
The response from my colleagues was fantastic. They physically prevented management removing me from the site, even when the bosses called in the police.
Despite this, and negotiations at the highest level of my union, the company refused to budge, so we balloted for an indefinite walkout and won by 139 votes to 19.
Like the protests we held, the ballot was carried out against a backdrop of massive intimidation of workers by Linamar, and I pay tribute to my colleagues who stood firm in the grip of this recession.
I also received solid support from Unite and its general secretary, Tony Woodley, who sent me to the Ford assembly plant in Kansas, USA, the main recipient of the parts we make. If Linamar workers had walked out, Ford would have had to shut the Kansas plant down.
In the end the pressure we brought to bear, and the solidarity of workers in Swansea, the UK and around the world, proved too much for the company.
It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of the support I received and I would like to thank everyone who sent messages of support, donations or offered practical help.
This victory shows that when we fight we can win. And there are lessons to learn from our campaign which I hope will help future struggles.
On 11 June after a hard-fought grassroots campaign supported by your union and others I was reinstated in my job at the Linamar car parts factory in Swansea.
Management at the plant, formerly owned by Visteon and before that Ford, had summarily sacked me in April for what they described as an "irretrievable breakdown of trust".
What they called a breakdown of trust, I call carrying out my duties as the elected Linamar convenor for the Unite union.
It began when I was called in and told I was sacked with immediate effect – no investigation; no disciplinary process; no appeal.
The response from my colleagues was fantastic. They physically prevented management removing me from the site, even when the bosses called in the police.
Despite this, and negotiations at the highest level of my union, the company refused to budge, so we balloted for an indefinite walkout and won by 139 votes to 19.
Like the protests we held, the ballot was carried out against a backdrop of massive intimidation of workers by Linamar, and I pay tribute to my colleagues who stood firm in the grip of this recession.
I also received solid support from Unite and its general secretary, Tony Woodley, who sent me to the Ford assembly plant in Kansas, USA, the main recipient of the parts we make. If Linamar workers had walked out, Ford would have had to shut the Kansas plant down.
In the end the pressure we brought to bear, and the solidarity of workers in Swansea, the UK and around the world, proved too much for the company.
It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of the support I received and I would like to thank everyone who sent messages of support, donations or offered practical help.
This victory shows that when we fight we can win. And there are lessons to learn from our campaign which I hope will help future struggles.
This article was taken from the PCS Activate Magazine.
