Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:56 pm on 25 January 2023.
A long list of reasons was given to me by the 2 Sisters chief executive for coming to this decision: Brexit, inflation, workforce shortages, COVID, energy prices. There were elements around the condition, the size, and the location of the factory itself too, he said. But, we can see that those overarching factors are ones directly under the control of UK Government, and we have to look to UK Government for a response here too. I've spoken to Isle of Anglesey County Council this morning. I know you've spoken with them too, and I look forward to all of us coming together in the coming days.
And, yes, we are calling for Welsh Government support in every way possible, seeking, of course, to avoid or minimise job losses, and thereafter, in the worst case, there will no doubt be an offer of a taskforce. The Prime Minister said this lunch time that the Department for Work and Pensions has procedures it can put in place. But, let's be quite straight here: with the scale of this, the timing, with a consultation to close in a matter of weeks, leaving hardly any time to seek alternatives, we're going to need a damn sight more than a taskforce and retraining for staff to look for other opportunities. We need jobs. We need investment in local businesses to grow in the food sector, in energy. We need support for businesses with energy costs. And we need the delivery of things that we've played our part in paving the way for as a community—in energy, the council and Stena's freeport bid. I will not accept the fate of Ynys Môn being just a holiday and retirement island. And that's not to knock tourism, which has a very important role to play, but a community totally reliant on that ceases to operate like a normal community.
But, at the heart of this are the people, my constituents, facing losing their work in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. So, will Welsh Government give that undertaking to support the workers and our community at this time, in every way, to provide support for families that will need it, and support for the council to deal with added pressure on services? And will Welsh Government work with and press on UK Government to address those issues that have proved to be so devastating here, and to co-operate to deliver solutions? This would be an appalling loss of jobs the day after workers were told, I understand, that all was good.