Part of 3. 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:19 pm on 28 June 2017.
Can I thank the Member for his questions and also agree with his concerns about the way that this announcement was made? It does appear as though news had leaked, and that that news might otherwise have been part of today’s announcement by Tesco of a major restructuring effort in an attempt to cut £1.5 billion from the bottom line as it seeks to become more competitive and achieve higher levels of profits. I think there’s no doubt that demand for skilled people in this sector in this region is still great, and for that reason I am confident that a very significant number of people will be able to secure alternative employment, if those jobs are lost after the 45-day consultation period. The trade union, USDAW, I know, is already very, very active in engaging with employees and with the company, and USDAW are doing a sterling job indeed with consulting and engaging with Government and with Members of Parliament as well.