Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:37 pm on 30 January 2019.
Thank you for that response. I’ve just met senior officials locally and at a national level. I’m grateful to Welsh Government officials and Anglesey council officials for working with REHAU. It was an announcement that came from nowhere, if truth be told. It’s a company that’s operated in Amlwch for over 40 years. There is a productive and loyal workforce there. It’s a company that’s not in difficulties. This is a restructuring, and, unfortunately, Amlwch is having to pay the price for that because of the reduction in the demand for the particular product produced there—104 work there, of course. The north of Anglesey can’t afford to lose those jobs. It’s an area that’s suffered blow after blow economically. There was the Hitachi announcement, of course, about the suspension of the Wylfa Newydd scheme, which came just a week before REHAU’s announcement. There are further jobs, some 150, to disappear from the old Wylfa site in about a year's time as the decommissioning process continues.
I’ve asked specifically over the past few weeks to you and the Government for economic development support anew for Anglesey, and this area specifically. But, in terms of REHAU, I have four questions. May I ask for further assurances, in addition to what you’ve said initially, that the Government will provide sufficient resources to make a substantial offer of support to the company that may persuade them to diversify or make other products there, perhaps? Could I have further assurances too that the Welsh Government will provide support for keeping all options on the table for possible continuation of the work there, including looking at any options for supporting management buy-outs and so on and so forth? But, if the worst comes to the worst, I do hope that we will be able to rely on the Government to invest substantially in reskilling opportunities and seeking re-employment for the workforce. May I ask for assurances in that regard? And also the workforce is concerned about what kind of redundancy packages may be available, if it does come to that point. May I have an assurance from the Government that all advice and support will be referred to them to ensure that they are—in a position where they aren’t able to negotiate through unions, I understand—given fair play?