Plaid Cymru Members of the Senedd for South Wales West have today expressed their solidarity with Tata Steel workers following a vote in favour of undertaking industrial action.

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Luke Fletcher MS and Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru Members of the Senedd for South Wales West, have expressed their solidarity with workers at Tata Steel’s plant in Port Talbot who have today voted to take strike action after the steel giant set out its intentions to press ahead with the closure of its blast furnace operations, threatening approximately 2,800 jobs.

Unite, which represents over a thousand members at the Port Talbot plant, formally notified Tata Steel of intentions to ballot for industrial action on Friday 1st March, with the ballot opening on Friday 8th March.

The ballot for strike action by Unite members closed with workers voting in favour of industrial action.

The vote to undertake strike action has been held as threats from Tata Steel to rescind financial support as part of the company’s redundancy package continue to loom large.

Responding to the result of the strike ballot, Plaid Cymru MSs for South Wales West Luke Fletcher MS and Sioned Williams MS said: “Plaid Cymru stands in complete solidarity with all the workers at this time and we stand ready to support each and every worker who needs it.

“Strike action is the last thing that any worker wants to do, but it becomes necessary when faced with the alternative: the managed decline of a vital industry and a strategic resource by private interests.

“Tata has continually made decisions and intimated towards its intentions for the plant’s future despite its ongoing consultation period with the unions.

“The company’s threats to rescind crucial financial support should redundancies ever occur is especially deplorable and shows the company’s willingness to ride roughshod over worker democracy – the refusal by unions and workers to be intimidated and coerced by this is commendable.

They added: “UK Government support of £500 million for the Port Talbot steelworks falls woefully short of the investment that countries such as France and Germany are investing in decarbonisation, which sits in the billions.

“Plaid Cymru maintains that we must see the same levels of ambition here if we are serious about the future of green, domestic steel production.”

CANLYNIAD PLEIDLAIS STREIC DUR TATA “DDIM YN SYNDOD”, MEDDAI PLAID CYMRU

Mae Aelodau Senedd Plaid Cymru dros Orllewin De Cymru heddiw wedi datgan eu bod yn cyd-sefyll gyda gweithwyr Dur Tata yn dilyn pleidlais o blaid gweithredu’n ddiwydiannol

Mae Luke Fletcher AS a Sioned Williams AS, Aelodau Senedd Plaid Cymru dros Orllewin De Cymru, wedi datgan eu hundod gyda gweithwyr yng ngwaith Dur Tata ym Mhort Talbot sydd wedi pleidleisio heddiw i streicio ar ôl i’r cwmni dur nodi ei fwriad i fwrw ymlaen â chau eu ffwrneisiau chwyth, gan roi tua 2,800 o swyddi yn y fantol.

Hysbysodd Unite, sy'n cynrychioli dros fil o aelodau yn y gwaith ym Mhort Talbot, Tata Steel yn ffurfiol o'i fwriad i gynnal pleidlais ar weithredu diwydiannol ar ddydd Gwener 1af Mawrth, gyda'r bleidlais yn agor ar ddydd Gwener 8 Mawrth.

Caeodd y balot dros streicio gan aelodau Unite i ben gyda gweithwyr yn pleidleisio o blaid gweithredu diwydiannol.

Mae’r bleidlais i gynnal streic wedi ei gynnal wrth i Tata Steel fygwth i ddiddymu cymorth ariannol fel rhan o becyn diswyddo’r cwmni.

Wrth ymateb i ganlyniad y bleidlais ar y streic, dywedodd ASau Plaid Cymru dros Orllewin De Cymru Luke Fletcher AS a Sioned Williams AS: “Mae Plaid Cymru yn sefyll mewn undod llwyr gyda’r holl weithwyr ar yr adeg hon ac rydym yn barod i gefnogi pob gweithiwr.

“Streicio yw’r peth olaf y mae unrhyw weithiwr eisiau ei wneud, ond daw’n angenrheidiol wrth wynebu’r dewis arall: dirywiad bwriadol diwydiant hanfodol ac adnodd strategol gan fuddiannau preifat.

“Mae Tata wedi gwneud penderfyniadau’n barhaus ac wedi arddangos ei fwriad ar gyfer dyfodol y ffatri er gwaethaf y cyfnod ymgynghori gyda’r undebau.

“Mae bygythiadau’r cwmni i ddiddymu cymorth ariannol hanfodol pe bai diswyddiadau yn digwydd yn destun pryder ac yn dangos parodrwydd y cwmni i beidio â pharchu democratiaeth gweithwyr – mae’r ffaith bod undebau a gweithwyr yn gwrthod cael eu dychryn a’u dylanwadu gan hyn i’w ganmol.

“Mae cymorth o £500 miliwn gan Lywodraeth y DU ar gyfer gwaith dur Port Talbot yn druenus o brin ochr yn ochr â’r symiau yn y biliynau y mae gwledydd fel Ffrainc a’r Almaen yn ei fuddsoddi mewn datgarboneiddio.

“Mae Plaid Cymru yn gadarn ein barn bod yn rhaid i ni weld yr un lefelau o uchelgais yma os ydym o ddifrif am ddyfodol cynhyrchu dur gwyrdd, domestig.”

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