UNION bosses and staff are still pitted solidly against the massive Ford Motor Company, as the Visteon car plant rooftop protest rumbles on.

Unite convener Kevin Nolan, a former worker at the factory, accused Ford of using the recession to get rid of employees by the back door.

He dismissed claims by administrators KPMG that the workers were not entitled to redundancy and pensions from Ford.

Speaking at the Morson Road, Ponders End plant, he said: "I can show you the contracts that Ford signed in 2000 to protect us," he said.

"This was one of the few remaining manufacturing plants in Enfield. Over the last 20 years manufacturing has been decimated here, there's hardly any manufacturing jobs left.

"The Government do absolutely nothing - they're quick enough to bail out the banks but they won't help people like us."

A spokesman from the Ford Motor Company said the employees had been mistaken and Visteon had simply taken Ford's terms and conditions and "copied and pasted" them onto its own contract.

When the company split from Ford in 2000 it did promise the same terms and conditions to the employees but they were terms and conditions meted out by Visteon, not Ford, he said.

He added: "I think what's key here is the very sad circumstances that this employer ended its days.

"Visteon offerd its employers terms and conditions that mirrored those of Ford and it said it would match any payrises that Ford gave to its employees.

"But the employees are not Ford's responsibility."

According to Ford the company still needs the instrument clusters and panels the company produces. Ford still uses Visteon factories in 29 other countries around the world and according to the spokesman would use the plant again if another owner was found.

He admitted that the company had known Visteon was having problems before the workers did, and had been able to arrange an alternative supplier.

But he said Ford is in no position to help its former employees itself.

"We are not in the business of taking over insolvent suppliers, we are in a very difficult situation ourselves.

"We have got 850 voluntary redundancies taking place next month."

The protest started yesterday morning after workers came back to the factory to collect their belongings, after being given ten minutes' notice of their redundancy on Tuesday.

They say they are determined to occupy the plant until their demands to receive the same terms and conditions as Ford employees are met - or they are legally evicted.

Since the protest started yesterday morning, the numbers of protesters has swelled from 40 to 90.

The Ponders End plant is one of three being occupied across the UK.