Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:30 pm on 22 October 2019.
Thank you for that answer, First Minister. Each year, Welsh ports, as you know, handle 48 million tonnes of freight. They carry 2.5 million passengers. They employ 6,000 people, including 1,000 seafarers, and it's worth £1 billion a year to the Welsh economy. The Government's Brexit mismanagement is likely to turn into a disaster for the Welsh economy and for Welsh jobs. So, if there is no deal, the freight capacity framework agreement is a potential charter for workers' exploitation, and already companies like Irish Ferries and Fastnet Line, have been named by trade unions such as the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers as the 'ships of shame', because of they're non-recognition of trade unions and exploitative rates of pay below the UK minimum wage. Now, if there is a deal, First Minister, the new Tory Siegfried line that will be the customs border down the middle of the Irish sea will lead to companies bypassing Welsh ports as they head tariff-free to the European Union. So, under the Tories' Brexit arrangements, First Minister, Welsh workers face either exploitation or unemployment. So, will you, as First Minister, meet with me, and with RMT, to discuss the steps that Welsh Government can take to protect Welsh workers and Welsh ports?