Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband spent an hour talking to Vestas protestors during a visit to Oxford yesterday.
He also announced a £6 million grant towards a Vestas research and development facility on the Isle of Wight, although the money will not affect the closure of the Vestas turbine plant.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) believe the grant will create 150 jobs on the island, but 625 workers will be made redundant when the turbine factory is closed down at the end of the week.
In a speech at Oxford town hall yesterday, Miliband warned that the Vestas situation will not be resolved by nationalisation. During his visit to Oxford, Miliband’s photocall was interrupted by Vestas protesters, and members of Thames Valley Climate Action group quizzed him on the sit-in protest.
Miliband, who said he was very sorry for the workers losing their jobs, added: "The money for the development of offshore wind manufacturing will help us generate green jobs on top of our success as the leading country in the world for the generation of offshore wind.
"We've announced £6 million today to help Vestas build a research and development facility into offshore wind which should employ around 150 people.
"But the truth is, what they're telling us is that Government money won't make the difference to Vestas.
"They don't have a big enough share of the market at the moment in onshore wind. We want to do all we can for the workers. We want to help them with retraining.
"What [the workers] said to me was that the biggest issue that they faced, the reason why Vestas wasn't winning the orders it needed to win, was because of planning applications being turned down for onshore wind.
"We can't be the centre for onshore wind manufacturing if all around the country people are saying: 'We don't want onshore wind.'"
The grant would include over £3 million of funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).
Jim Brathwaite, SEEDA Chairman, said: “This announcement is great news for the island’s workforce and economy - it will put the island at the forefront of developing the next generation of offshore wind turbines that the UK needs to deploy in significant numbers over the next decade.”
However, Edward Maltby of Workers' Climate Action said: "The figure of £6 million is pocket money. It's not a significant investment. Why are we throwing money at this company? We should nationalise it because Vestas is not prepared to behave decently."
Inside the Vestas factory, 25 workers continue their protest ahead of a court hearing tomorrow, at which the Danish company will seek permission to remove the workers from the factory.
The 25 men have been inside the factory since July 20th. Earlier this week a hot meal was delivered to them but protestors have been stopped from throwing food to them. So far five protestors have been arrested.
Campaigners across the globe have pledged their support to the protest, with Vestas offices being picketed in Sweden and messages of support coming in from around the world.
Workers' Climate Action is planning a protest in Whitehall Place, London at 6pm today and further protests are planned later in the week.
Vestas is closing the factory and relocating to Colorado in the US as the company believes the UK onshore market is not large enough to warrant a plant on the Isle of Wight.
peter arbuthnott, oxford around 2 years, 9 months ago