The Green Party has called for a green industrial strategy offering a clear road map toward creating sustainable, green jobs following confirmation that Tata is slashing 2,800 jobs at its steelworks in Port Talbot.
Wales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter said:
"This is devastating news for the local community and beyond. Wales knows only too well what happens when communities are abandoned by government and industries. We saw it with the coal industry and now it is happening again with the steel industry.
“Decarbonisation of industry is vital, but communities and people’s jobs must be protected. That means putting unions and workers at the heart of a just transition.
“The government has provided Tata with £500 million toward the cost of future steel production. It has a responsibility to ensure that money is used to protect Port Talbot and the wider Wales economy.
“Instead, it is allowing the company to ignore viable alternatives to these job losses put forward by the unions. That is unacceptable and must be resisted.”
Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski, who recently visited Port Talbot with Anthony Slaughter, said:
“The steel industry is a crucial part of the UK’s economy and has been the backbone of communities up and down the country for generations.
“It is simply inexcusable that the government is willing to inflict real damage on this south Wales community, with a deal that will see thousands of jobs lost. This is not the fair transition to a greener future that people across the UK need or deserve.
“What is happening in Port Talbot underscores the need for a green industrial strategy from government, led by trade unions and communities, that provides a clear road map toward creating the sustainable, green jobs of the future.
“It is workers in these industries that have the skills and experience to help lead the industrial conversion.
“Planned transition is possible. By 2030, the European Union is expected to be home to nearly 50 green and low-carbon steel projects, facilitated by governments working together to deliver a planned strategy to move away from fossil fuels. [1]
“However, we have a government that simply doesn’t care about the enormous and exciting possibilities for people that the green industrial revolution we are undergoing offers. It seems happy to see jobs and communities go to the wall rather than plan to protect Port Talbot, its people and the planet.
"Neither the Conservatives nor Labour have faced up to the need to future-proof our economy and ensure we are able to transition to a greener, more sustainable future while protecting people and communities.
“We know transitioning to a green economy could create up to a million jobs. If the government had invested in the transition over the last few decades, we could have avoided the potentially devastating consequences we are seeing in Port Talbot today.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] Green Steel Is Coming. Europe Is Leading the Charge Thanks to New Carbon Taxes. - WSJ