Isle of Wight Council leaders have met a delegation of sacked Vestas
workers to discuss what support the council is able to offer efforts to
secure green jobs for the Island.
Three representatives of the former Vestas workforce met with the
council leader Cllr David Pugh, and deputy leader Cllr George Brown
joined by Cllr Geoff Lumley and the council's chief executive Steve
Beynon at County Hall on Monday.
Cllr Pugh, said: "We consider that any funds invested here on the Island
should be to the benefit of the wider Island economy.
Cllr George Brown, lead member for the economy added: "Any investment
should be about jobs for local people using the skilled workforce
recently made redundant - we want everyone to know that we have a
hard-working and committed workforce here on the Island.
"There is a need to develop the wider renewables industry here on the
island and maintain the strong manufacturing base."
Both councillors stressed that the council had up to this point been
working in the background with Government and SEEDA to finds ways to
sustain the current workforce but sadly to no avail.
Michael Godley, who was made redundant by Vestas and was one of the
group of ex-workers who met with the council, said "If Vestas is not
willing to make a commitment to production on the Island, all parties
would support active efforts to find other companies willing to do
this."