Llanelli’s MP and AM have voiced their support for the workforce at Trostre steelworks after news that Tata Steel may look to sell the Llanelli plant as part of a merger with Thysenkrupp.
Nia Griffith MP and Lee Waters AM are in discussions with the local management and workforce representatives at Trostre to push for steel production to be kept at the plant even if it is sold. They have made it clear that Trostre is a highly successful business and that Tata must act responsibly to secure its future. The plant directly employs 650 people in Llanelli and is a key part of the area’s manufacturing base.
Nia Griffith MP said, “Trostre has been a key employer in Llanelli since the 1940s, and our community has a long relationship with the steel industry. It’s clear that Trostre is a high-quality operation and a vital part of the UK steel industry.
“Whilst there have been rumours for some time that Tata might sell Trostre, this is the clearest confirmation we’ve had of their intentions. We now need to make sure that there is a future for the works, and I will push the UK Government to play its part in securing that future.”
Lee Waters AM added, “Trostre works make high quality products and has a solid customer base. It makes a profit and has a viable future. It appears that the decision to offer it up as part of the merger has come from Tata in India, not Europe, and is a cold rebuke to a loyal workforce that have already endured a series of traumas.”
“At the moment this is nothing more than a proposal. It has a number hurdles to jump over before it becomes a reality. But if it comes to that there’s strong local management and unions, and a determined community who’ll keep supporting the works to find a viable future for tinplate production in Llanelli”
“We need to be clear that this idea should only go through if Trostre can be spun off as a viable business, able to compete with the new merged company.”
The plan to sell Trostre has been suggested by Tata Steel’s parent company as they seek to assure competition authorities that a merger between Tata and Thysenkrupp will not create a monopoly over steel production in Europe. The suggestions have not yet been approved by competition authorities, but they have led to uncertainty about the future of the successful Trostre plant.
Llanelli’s MP and AM will be using all their resources to find a way forward to secure the future of Trostre. In addition to lobbying the UK and Welsh Governments, they are opening discussions with the management at Trostre, employees and trade unions.
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