Welsh Conservatives announce ‘five-point-plan’ for the Welsh steel industry
Welsh Conservatives have called for a ‘five point plan’ to save the Welsh steel industry.
The plan comes as TATA Steel are expected to announce around 800 job losses at their Port Talbot steelworks.
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said action was needed at all levels of government and called on EU Leaders to “show their teeth” in acting to the protect British steel industry from so-called Chinese dumping.
Welsh Conservatives called for:
- Action from the European Union to deal with ‘Chinese dumping’ of steel;
- Continued action from the UK Government to deal with Labour’s legacy of high energy prices;
- Business Rate Relief to be brought forward by the Welsh Government
- Minimum steel standards for public sector procurement;
- A package of support for staff set to lose their jobs.
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives said:
“These job losses at TATA are deeply troubling, and will have a devastating impact not only on the workers affected and their families, but on the wider steel industry in Wales.
“The need for action is clear, but any suggestion that the Welsh Government should look to take a stake in the industry is wide of the mark.
“The UK Government will continue to do all that it can to bring down energy prices, but it’s clear that more needs to be done to protect the industry against the dumping of cheap Chinese steel.
“We are constantly force-fed the line that Britain benefits from being part of a bigger market in the form of the EU; well, it’s high time the European Union showed some teeth, because China’s domestic steel woes cannot be allowed to devastate Welsh jobs and to flood the UK market with cheap and in some instances sub-standard steel.
“Whilst many of the factors at play here are global in nature, the Welsh Government also has a job to do and Labour's Minister has been slow to act on business rate relief and that must be addressed with urgency.
“We would also like to see action from Welsh Government to implement procurement measures to ensure that all steel used in public sector contracts is of a British standard.”
The Welsh Conservatives’ Five-Point-plan for steel also calls for a support package to be put in place by Welsh Government, to support any workers who lose their jobs as a result of today’s expected announcement.
Shadow Minister for the Economy, William Graham, said:
“This is incredibly disappointing news and will understandably be causing huge anxiety and concern amongst the affected employees and their families.
“It is always extremely difficult for those affected by redundancy, particular during tough economic times, and it is disappointing for the area that such a large number of jobs are going to be lost.
“I would urge the Welsh Government to urgently consider what packages of support they will be able to offer the workers who have been made redundant, both in terms of retraining and support in securing new employment.”
