Alcoa Aluminium, which is based in Swansea announced today that it's factory will close, with 300 people set to lose their jobs. I haven't yet seen their formal statement, but back in November last year, their reasoning for the proposed job cuts was rising energy costs as well as labour, transport and materials costs. Andrew Davies, the Labour Economic Minister has 'been in talks' with the company, but this has obviously done little to dissuade them from closing their plant. As usual, the Labour Government has been slow off the mark in dealing with such an important issue, and it seems that even though Labour shout about economic successes, this does not reflect the reality of the situation here in Wales at all.
On the other hand, Plaid Cymru is calling on the Government to introduce a longer minimum consultation period before redundancies (France 6 months/UK 90 days), and for employers who decide upon redundancies to enact a ‘social plan’ which involves substantial investment in retraining. Plaid in Westminster has been lobbying the Government to appointment a Minister for Manufacturing in the DTI as a matter of urgency. This is in order to be pro-active about developing the manufacturing industry in Wales, and to pre -empt any necessary discussions on imminent job losses.
The job losses at Alcoa are a disappointment. We need to create new, homegrown industries that will provide jobs for people in Wales, and create a feeling of positivity amongst Welsh people about what we can achieve.
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