FIGHTING FOR ITS ...‘AND SO ARE WE’
the redundancies and not make them as severe as they are.
“We’ve seen plant closures in the past in places like Ebbw Vale and they never quite regenerate or have the growth back. It’s not just the 3,000 jobs that will go, but jobs across the whole supply chain which would be absolutely devastating for the area.”
Malcolm Gullam of Port Talbot said: “This is terrible news for the community, and without investment we could see thousands of redundancies along with the loss of our ability to create virgin steel, and other grades of steel that would allow them to complete their order book.
“Of course, we are all for green energy, but we will still need to produce steel in this country, and if we can’t we will have to import it from places like China and India where they also use blast furnaces, so it’s just moving the problem across.”
On the high street in Port Talbot there are similar concerns from business owners who fear that the loss of jobs at the works could result in a reduction of footfall in the town, as well as people having less money to spend.
Sarah Short owns Ferrari’s Cafe and said: “Obviously this type of news is very worrying for businesses on the high street because if the jobs go at the steelworks then that could be 3,000 people in the area that don’t have an income.
“As far as I’m aware, if it’s a case of shutting it down completely or doing the change over, to me it will be a benefit that not everyone loses their jobs though it would still be very unfortunate for those 3,000 who do.
“Obviously it’s going to have a knock-on effect in Port Talbot because even in the surrounding areas they come to the cafes for food and to use the shops, so there is an effect but I’m not 100% sure yet how much it will impact us.”
Megan Daniels is a local shop worker who travels from Neath and said: “It would definitely have an impact of the high street shops that trade here, as the steelworks is such a big part of the town. It would mean a lot of people without a job, and obviously them having spend in the shops.
“It is a worry, and I think a lot of people here are nervous at the moment as it is, not only because of the threat of job losses, but because of the cost-of-living crisis where prices on everything seem to be going up.”
Dale George owns a barber shop in Port Talbot and added: “The electric arc is something that has to come in and we do understand that, as things can’t continue due to the greenhouse emissions the plant puts out, but the worry of 3,000 jobs going, and the potential worry of further jobs that could knock-on from that is terrifying.
“Port Talbot isn’t a bustling hub as it is, and the knock-on effect it could have for the area is potentially cataclysmic, as there would be a lot less money in people’s pockets.”
Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon, also spoke out about the plans this week, saying that Tata’s plans for Port Talbot could “destroy our steelmaking, destroy thousands of jobs, and destroy the very fabric of our community.”
In a statement earlier this week a Tata Steel spokesperson said: “Despite recent press speculation, we are not in a position to make a formal announcement about any proposals for a transition to a de-carbonised future for Tata Steel UK.
“We hope to soon start a formal information and consultation process with our employee representatives, in which we would share more details about any such proposals.
“We believe our £1.25 billion proposal to transition to green steelmaking will secure the business for the longer term, bolster UK steel security and help develop a green ecosystem in the region.
“We are committed to a meaningful information and consultation process with our trade union partners and will carefully consider any proposals put forward.” less money to