Welsh Labour meets with union on Tata Steel's future
Elizabeth Birt
Fri, 2 August 2024
The First Minister met with union officials at Tata Steel (Image: Nathan Roach)
New Welsh Labour leader, Eluned Morgan, recently met with union officials at Tata Steel.
The meeting, held at the steelworks site in Port Talbot was aimed at discussing the future of thousands of workers.
Ms Morgan was joined by Welsh secretary Jo Stevens MP and Huw Irranca-Davies MS as well as representatives from GMB, Unite and Community.
The meeting came on the heels of the recent shutdown of one of Tata's two coal-fired blast furnaces at the plant.
This is a move towards embracing greener manufacturing as the company plans to transition to electric arc steelmaking, with the second coal-fired blast furnace to be switched off by September.
The shift, though beneficial in terms of decarbonisation, threatens to see up to 3,000 jobs lost across Tata's UK operations.
Ms Morgan said: "It was really important to me that one of the first meetings I had as Welsh Labour leader was with unions about the ongoing situation at Tata Steel.
"As First Minister, I will stand alongside workers to save as many steel jobs as we can, and to ensure that the transition to decarbonisation doesn't leave workers behind."
Mr Irranca-Davies added: "I know the workforce at Tata is facing a lot of uncertainty.
"Eluned and I are here to say the Welsh Government has your back."
Ms Stevens also spoke out saying: "Labour is committed to protecting and growing our steel communities in Wales.
"Eluned and I are clear that we will need more steel, not less, to achieve our ambitions for Wales and Britain.
"Both Labour governments will continue to listen to, engage and work with businesses and unions to forge a new partnership that kickstarts our national renewal."
This visit forms part of Ms Morgan's 'summer of listening' as she plans to venture across Wales to understand people’s priorities for the country.
Fri, 2 August 2024
The First Minister met with union officials at Tata Steel (Image: Nathan Roach)
New Welsh Labour leader, Eluned Morgan, recently met with union officials at Tata Steel.
The meeting, held at the steelworks site in Port Talbot was aimed at discussing the future of thousands of workers.
Ms Morgan was joined by Welsh secretary Jo Stevens MP and Huw Irranca-Davies MS as well as representatives from GMB, Unite and Community.
The meeting came on the heels of the recent shutdown of one of Tata's two coal-fired blast furnaces at the plant.
This is a move towards embracing greener manufacturing as the company plans to transition to electric arc steelmaking, with the second coal-fired blast furnace to be switched off by September.
The shift, though beneficial in terms of decarbonisation, threatens to see up to 3,000 jobs lost across Tata's UK operations.
Ms Morgan said: "It was really important to me that one of the first meetings I had as Welsh Labour leader was with unions about the ongoing situation at Tata Steel.
"As First Minister, I will stand alongside workers to save as many steel jobs as we can, and to ensure that the transition to decarbonisation doesn't leave workers behind."
Mr Irranca-Davies added: "I know the workforce at Tata is facing a lot of uncertainty.
"Eluned and I are here to say the Welsh Government has your back."
Ms Stevens also spoke out saying: "Labour is committed to protecting and growing our steel communities in Wales.
"Eluned and I are clear that we will need more steel, not less, to achieve our ambitions for Wales and Britain.
"Both Labour governments will continue to listen to, engage and work with businesses and unions to forge a new partnership that kickstarts our national renewal."
This visit forms part of Ms Morgan's 'summer of listening' as she plans to venture across Wales to understand people’s priorities for the country.
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