A NORTH WALES MS is seeking re-assurances for workers at a steel firm in Flintshire following news of 3,000 potential redundancies down south.
Steel giant Tata is to press ahead with plans to close blast furnaces at its biggest plant in Port Talbot, threatening more than 3,000 jobs, according to sources.
Unions were meeting the company on Thursday after presenting alternative proposals aimed at saving jobs in South Wales.
Sources said Tata rejected the plan and were pressing ahead with proposals for a greener form of steelmaking to cut emissions and stem financial losses.
Unions will consult their members on how to respond to job losses, with industrial action not being ruled out.
North Wales MS Llyr Gruffydd is now seeking reassurances over the safety of jobs at the Tata plant in Shotton.
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He said: "This is a heart-breaking hammer blow for thousands of Tata workers and their families, and it doesn’t represent the just transition that Governments in London and Cardiff tell us they want to see.
“I’m seeking urgent clarity on what impact this decision will have on Tata Steel‘s Shotton Works in my region. Nearly 95% of its feedstock comes from South Wales.
“Any reduction in that supply will clearly have a knock-on effect and the company must give urgent clarity on whether the announcement on Port Talbot will impact its workers in North Wales.”
Sources said Tata accepted a union plea to keep the hot strip mill at Port Talbot open over a transition period, supporting hundreds more jobs.
A Tata Steel spokesperson said ahead of the meeting: “We have recently announced a joint agreement between Tata Steel and UK Government for a proposal to invest in state-of-the art Electric Arc Furnace steelmaking in Port Talbot.
“We are committed to meaningful information sharing and consultation with our trade union partners about the plan to develop sustainable steelmaking in the UK and to find solutions for concerns they may have.
“While those discussions are ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
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