The Transport & General Workers Union is keeping its campaign going to reverse PSA Peugeot-Citroën’s decision to close its UK manufacturing plant in 2007.
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Demonstrations have taken place at dealerships in the Midlands and the union is also taking its campaign to London with an ‘open letter to Londoners’ asking them to boycott PSA products. There will also be a demonstration outside a London dealership (Warwick Wright Motors, Brent Cross).
The letter is reproduced below:
“An open letter to Londoners from Peugeot-Citroën car workers
If you are thinking of buying a car this summer – think of how Peugeot-Citroën has treated its workers in the UK so shamefully and let that influence your decision.
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By GlobalDataLondoners will know that Peugeot-Citroën in Coventry has decided to sack 2,300 workers and transfer their jobs and production to Slovakia in Eastern Europe. Well, the workers have a message – “We’re fighting back!” – and we’re bringing the campaign to London.
Sacking UK workers is the easy option for a multinational whose only concern is the pursuit of more profits. They don’t care what lives or communities they wreck in the process. It’s all about greed as they push labour costs ever lower to inflate profits to give higher returns for already wealthy shareholders.
Peugeot-Citroën’s Coventry factory is profitable. It has been for many years. The company says it would remain so if given the chance. Well, what’s wrong with giving UK workers that chance?
If Londoners don’t buy the Peugeot or Citroën car you were planning, the French company will have to pay attention.
The trade unions have a viable plan to save Ryton but the company don’t want to talk about it. Why? Is it because they’ll have to defend selling cars in the UK at inflated prices whilst paying poverty wages to Eastern European workers? Or is it because they cannot defend what is plain wrong.
We don’t want conflict with the company. We want a solution. If the company engage meaningfully with us to try and save jobs, our boycott campaign will cease. Londoners can play a part.
Yours sincerely,
Jim O’Boyle
T&G Convenor
Peugeot-Citroën Ryton Plant
Coventry”
See also: UK: Unions urge Peugeot and Citroen boycott
