Lindsay Whittle Caerphilly MS has spoken in the Senedd today (Tuesday) of the “devastating blow” of an announcement before Christmas of the threatened closure of the Norsk Hydro plant in Bedwas with the loss of 125 jobs.
The Plaid Cymru MS asked Jane Hutt, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, to urge the Economy Minister to make a statement on what action was being taken by the Welsh Government to engage with the company management.
Lindsay Whittle, who visited the plant on Monday and spoke to management and workers, said: “This is a devastating blow before Christmas and if the decision following the consultation period is to close then we need the support of the Welsh Government to take urgent steps to make sure there is retraining and, hopefully, new employment opportunities as soon as possible for these highly skilled workers.
“I visited the plant yesterday. I spoke to one worker. This is his fifth redundancy in his working life. Speaking as a former aluminium worker who has also been made redundant in the 1980s. It is a devastating blow.”
Jane Hutt said: “The news is very worrying for the Norsk Hydro workforce, both for their families and the community and we stand ready to support the workforce affected by this decision.”