One 12 months in the past, Cassius Walker-Hunt was working at Port Talbot’s metal plant.
Now, he is operating his personal espresso store within the city centre, having been made redundant when Tata Metal introduced the closure of the plant’s blast furnaces.
“They called it an end of an era, and it was. That type of workforce in Wales now is gone, it wasn’t just a company shutting down, it was generations of knowledge and generations of workers,” he stated.
Six months since Port Talbot’s final blast furnace was closed as a part of Tata’s inexperienced transition, talks are ongoing to save lots of 1000’s of jobs at British Metal amid plans to shut Scunthorpe’s blast furnaces.
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Mr Walker-Hunt now runs his personal espresso store
Mr Walker-Hunt was the fourth era of his household to work in Port Talbot’s metal business, a convention now at an finish.
“It’s something that I will never forget to be honest, being around the boys for the last time and all of us going off doing different things,” he stated.
Mr Walker-Hunt stated if the UK authorities did resolve to nationalise British Metal, he can be “happy” for the individuals of Scunthorpe, however that it might come as a “low blow” to Port Talbot.
“Why couldn’t we have it? Why have you left us, our lot, fall apart? Why couldn’t we get that support?”
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Port Talbot
‘Groundhog Day’
Tata Metal introduced final January that it was reducing 2,800 jobs, with most of these in Port Talbot.
Jack Harper had deliberate to spend his profession working on the steelworks within the city.
He labored as an apprentice there from 2022 till September final 12 months when he was let go.
The 29-year-old stated watching the continuing talks in Scunthorpe was “like Groundhog Day”.
“It’s been the exact same process, if not worse. Because the economic situation and the political situation is a lot worse with tariffs. We don’t know where we stand with it,” he stated.
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Jack Harper labored as an apprentice on the metal plant however is now a union assist employee
Mr Harper now works as a union assist employee, serving to former steelworkers as they search for various employment.
“It’s very gratifying because a lot of people I know have come through the door and have obviously got support through us. Ex-colleagues, friends, so it’s been really good helping people I actually know,” he stated.
“The vast majority have been men, I’d say in their 30s to 50s, family men. They’ve got to put food on the table and when the one ticket in town, the major ticket in town, is gone, it’s a scramble now to find employment and get back on your feet.”
The steelworks in Scunthorpe are “a massive part of the UK industry”, based on Mr Harper.
“It’s not going to look good if we’re importing all of that from abroad, especially in the current economic situation,” he added.
‘Value preventing for’
Plaid Cymru known as for the nationalisation of Port Talbot steelworks final 12 months when Tata introduced its plans to switch its blast furnaces with an electrical arc furnace, however these calls have been “dismissed”.
The occasion’s enterprise and commerce spokesperson, Llinos Medi, stated if the nationalisation of the steelworks at Scunthorpe goes forward, individuals in Port Talbot would “rightly ask why their jobs and community were not worth fighting for”.
Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick stated constituents of his can be asking why the federal government “allowed” greater than 2,000 jobs to be lower in Wales however have been “seemingly less accepting of the destruction it would cause elsewhere”.
The Conservatives have pointed to their £500m rescue deal, which retained round 25% of the workforce at Port Talbot, and have known as for a business resolution in Scunthorpe.
In the meantime, Reform UK has backed bringing British Metal underneath public possession to safe the way forward for the business.
A UK authorities spokesperson stated Port Talbot “has always been and will always be a steelmaking town” however that the business’s financial stability relied on “a cleaner, greener future”.
“Our Steel Strategy will set forth a positive vision for the future of the industry, backed up by up to £2.5bn of government investment, on top of the £500m being provided to transform Port Talbot,” they added.
The Welsh authorities stated it has been “working closely with all parties to ensure that a range of support is available”.
“Much of the £80m transition funding from UK government is allocated to tailored support and we’d encourage anyone who has not already done so to see what support is available to them,” it added.
A Neath Port Talbot Council spokesperson stated it was doing “all it can to support those affected by the closure of the blast furnaces at Port Talbot”.
“The council recently granted planning permission for Tata Steel’s £1.25bn electric arc furnace at Port Talbot which is expected to be up and running by early 2028,” they added.
