What’s being done to help Port Talbot?
TATA steel have announced up to 2800 job losses at their plant in Port Talbot. Politicians are concerned for the town and the future of the site, and are asking the first minister what is being put in place to ensure the town recovers after the enormous hit. The First Minister thinks TATA’s plan should change.
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00:00 We believe that there is a credible alternative that would sustain jobs at Port Talbot and
00:09 would sustain indigenous steelmaking in the United Kingdom.
00:13 That is the Syndex Plan that the trade unions have jointly funded to bring it about.
00:21 It was described as a credible plan by the company themselves.
00:26 I say to the company what I know others have said.
00:31 I hope they will not make any irreversible decisions because with the general election
00:36 happening this year, there is an alternative future for the steel industry in the United
00:41 Kingdom and I want Port Talbot to be part of that.
00:44 The Welsh Government have made it clear they want parts of the plant at least to stay open
00:48 and believe it is a viable option for both the company and workers at the site.
00:52 Andrew R.T. Davies agrees but wants to know what the First Minister is going to do to
00:56 ensure it happens.
00:58 So that the training opportunities and the remodelling that will be required to make
01:02 sure that steel production does continue at Port Talbot is met in full by the transition
01:08 board and its remit.
01:09 Well, shall we first of all, can I welcome what the Leader of the Opposition has said
01:16 about his support for the continuation of blast furnace number four.
01:21 I think everybody accepts, the trade unions accept, that blast furnace number five will
01:25 be decommissioned in relatively short order.
01:29 But keeping blast furnace number four going while the electric arc capacity can be built
01:35 up is at the heart of that Syndex plan and I'm very glad to hear what the Leader of the
01:41 Opposition has said.
01:43 What happens next is as yet unknown.
01:45 We know there will be job losses but just how many remains a mystery.
01:48 The First Minister says that he and the Leader of the Opposition are on the same side in
01:52 protecting jobs and opportunities in Port Talbot but says that Westminster needs to
01:56 be doing more.
01:58 What I'm trying to understand is what resource has the Welsh Government put into, and by
02:04 resource I mean financial resource, in supporting the transition board's journey to make sure
02:11 those training opportunities and other opportunities can be fully exploited, such as the Freeport
02:17 initiative, to make sure that there are opportunities in Port Talbot for those workers and the workers
02:23 in the wider South Wales economy.
02:25 How much money has been put in, First Minister?
02:27 Well, Llywydd, I don't think there's a great deal separating the Leader of the Opposition
02:32 and the remarks that the Welsh Government has been making.
02:36 I invite him certainly to put those views with us to his colleagues in the UK Government
02:43 because I don't think they are of the same view.
02:48 Port Talbot has run on the steelworks for years.
02:50 It's one of the biggest employers in the area and the town relies on it.
02:54 Whether jobs can be protected and how many can be protected remains to be seen but with
02:58 so much at stake, workers want answers and fast.
03:01 James P. Twotkins, reporting from Wales.
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