Vestas, a leading employer on the Isle of Wight, announced that it would be cutting 300 jobs from its island-based factory.
The change in demand for blades is the reason behind the job losses. Vestas is a Danish company with global operations that will switch from offshore blades to blades for onshore use, which only requires 300 jobs at the Newport facility. The site is not suitable to manufacture the next generation of large offshore blades due to its constraints
The plant opened in 2002 and employs approximately 600 people.
Vestas has determined that the plant is better suited for the production of new onshore blades, as onshore blades are much smaller than those used offshore.
It is possible that this plant would have been closed if the government had not changed its policy.
Anders Nielsen is the executive vice president and chief technology officer of Vestas. He said, “We are happy that this partnership with the UK Government means we can continue to manufacture activities on the Isle of Wight in order to support the deployment of wind energy in the UK.”
He said: “My gratitude to all of our employees on the Isle of Wight for their significant contributions to wind energy. We are happy to retain and offer a number of opportunities to our impacted co-workers during this process.”
Vestas technology activities on the island employing about 140 people are not affected by this decision. They will continue to be a centre of excellence in blade design, research and development.
The consultation process on job cuts has begun, and the employees will know the results by January.
Ed Miliband said, “My thoughts are today with the Vestas staff who are facing uncertainty over the future of their job, especially at this season of the year.
“I’m pleased, however, that we have reached an agreement in principle with this company to save 300 positions on the site, and that the lifting of our ban on onshore windsfarms helps make a site that was slated for closure viable for future.
Vestas employs over 1,500 people in the UK and 33,000 globally. Together with GKN Aerospace, it is one the largest employers in the island.
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