"The Visteon workers and the Visteon pensioners have had my support from day one. Even now, just over a year after Visteon shut its doors I'm still shocked at the way the company has behaved. We had to fight for any redundancy payments and now we're having to fight for the pensions that are rightfully yours. I've raised this in the House of Commons, met with the Pensions Regulator, joined the VPAG at their demonstation outside the House of Commons and at the meeting with Angela Eagle, have spoken directly with the Prime Minister and Unite the Union and am helping to get this issue heard in the press with two recent interviews with national newspapers. Whatever I can do to help I will continue to do. This is a battle that has to be won."

I am sorry I cannot be with you here today. 
I am in our Assembly this afternoon, hosting an event there for the workers who lost their jobs at the Belfast Visteon plant. We are with you in solidarity. 
The first anniversary of the closure of Visteon and the start of the campaign for justice is something which should never be forgotten. 
Although the workers employed by Visteon were located at different plants, they were all treated with the same injustice and contempt. 
In denial of the same rights, three manufacturing plants were closed at the same time by the same company throwing hundreds of people out of work. 
That became the spark for a campaign which united workers across the three plants and evoked goodwill and outrage throughout the wider community. 
It was not only the injustice of the decision which was common to all those affected : it was the determination to resist and expose that injustice. 
One year on, the Ford  / Visteon scandal has been made a badge of shame for the management involved and a banner of honour for the workers. 
Rather than give up in the face of a mighty, multi-billion pound international business, the workers, their families and their communities fought back.
You have been an example for workers and communities everywhere. Together, you have showed that ordinary people can prevail.
Now, the scandal has to be brought to an end. Those who were responsible for the Ford / Visteon scandal must be held fully to account. If there is evidence of crime or business malpractice it must be brought before the courts. 
Measures must be put in place to ensure that companies cannot take public money; reinvest it somewhere else; transfer assets and pensions; swap management into safe jobs; and then axe workers and their livelihoods.
At a meeting in Downing Street last week I pressed Mr. Brown again on this. 
There must be an exhaustive and rigorous independent investigation into the Visteon scandal. The rights and entitlements of all of those who depend upon a pension from Ford / Visteon must be upheld. 
We must reassert the principle that workers rights are human rights. Every citizen is entitled to expect that in return for their labour, they are treated with dignity. We must strive to create a society with that value at its core. 
Keep up the struggle.

“Having been contacted by a number of constituents about their Visteon pensions, I have met with the Pension Protection Fund to seek clarification regarding the future of their pensions. I am anxious to ensure that people do not lose out as a result of Visteon becoming insolvent and have lobbied the Government to ensure that workers do not lose their pension entitlements.”