Insult added to injury for Rover workers
Socialist Party councillor
Dave Nellist has condemned the treatment of Rover
workers
since the announcement of their mass redundancy.
He said:
"Former Rover employees have had insult added to
injury. The news this week that car purchase loans the workers had taken out
would have to be paid back in full because of the collapse of the company, and
that nursery places they had paid for in advance were to be closed down, will
further fuel anger against the administrators and Government.
"An outcry has forced the government to put in
emergency funds to keep the nursery open. This is no less than the workers
deserve - but it's only for a month. But the Government's proposed new deals
over the car purchase, unfortunately welcomed by union leaders like Tony
Woodley, are absolutely shameful.
"Rover employees have been told that rather than pay
back their purchase loans in full they can pay them back on 'more favourable'
terms or hand the cars back without facing claims for the balance of the loans.
"Depending on the exact nature of their agreements,
they may have been able to hand the cars back anyway -
owing nothing if they had paid half the agreement. So it's hardly a generous
offer by the administrators.
"Given the pitiful redundancy payments the workers
will get the least they should be getting is these cars for free and free
childcare while they try and sort out their life.
"If the union leaders, like Tony Woodley, had taken
up the demand of Socialist Party election candidates for the workers to occupy
the plant and campaign for renationalisation of Rover, they would have forced a
damn site more out of the government than these miserable offerings."
April 2005
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