The Health Minister has reiterated the Welsh Government’s support
for the steel industry in Wales during her meeting with Tata
Steel in India earlier today (Thursday 29th February).
Eluned Morgan met Tata Steel’s global Chief Executive TV
Narendran ahead of the St David’s Day celebrations in Mumbai to
launch the year of Wales in India.
The purpose of the meeting was to continue conversations had
between the First Minister, Economy Minister and Tata Steel following
their announcement to close Port Talbot's two blast furnaces and
coke ovens in a phased manner.
The Health Minister also stressed the importance of full
consideration of alternative options that the trade unions have
presented and urged the company not to make any irreversible
choices.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan said:
“Steel is the thread that will run through the economy of today
and tomorrow and Welsh steel can play a major role in that
transition. The Senedd recently passed a unanimous vote in
support of maintaining blast furnace steelmaking in Port Talbot
as part of a fairer, longer transition. This is the message I
raised with Tata Steel here in India while urging the company to
avoid irreversible actions that close off opportunities for a
better, credible deal.
“I reiterated the importance of meaningful engagement with steel
trades unions and stressed the implications any proposals will
have on employees in the supply chain across Wales as well as the
immediate impact on Tata’s dedicated workforce.”
As part of our final budget, the Welsh Government has announced
£4.75m investment in employability programmes including ReAct+,
Communities for Work + and Jobs Growth Wales+, boosting an
existing investment of £49m to enable us to do what we can to
prevent the worst outcomes for Welsh steel communities.
These budgets are based on demand and will be prioritised to
ensure workers receive effective support where needed.
Economy Minister said:
“We urge Tata Steel and UK Government ministers to establish
fresh talks to prevent the economic loss our steel communities
face.
“We hope that through dialogue with the unions, parties can find
a credible way forward for the business that does not require the
planned loss of both blast furnaces and job losses on this
eyewatering scale.”
