WORKERS left Orb Electrical Steels plant in Newport at midday today, Friday, as the site closed its doors.
But a glimmer of hope remains, as the plant it has not been shut down, but “mothballed” - meaning it will be maintained in case a buyer can be found, but not operational.
But for now, the lights are off - and the Argus has issued a fresh call to back our petition calling on the UK Government to take action to preserve the future of the plant.
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Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East, has called on the UK Government to ensure it is not the last time workers file out of the plant.
Speaking in Parliament she called on the government to “proactively support us in Newport so that we can restart the plant, help keep electrical steel making in this country, and not have to import steel, which we will have to do if we lose that capacity?".
She added: “Many generations of families in Newport have worked at Orb, and it has a special place in Newport’s history.
“I pay tribute to those steelworkers who are moving on and who are so passionate about their industry.
“They have made many sacrifices and adapted in recent years to help the business, and they make world-class steel.”
In a separate statement, she added: “The fact that Tata have mothballed the site gives hope that manufacturing could continue at Orb but that will need the Government to work for a solution that will enable steelmaking to restart.”
The Argus echoes Ms Morden’s belief that “this industry could and should have a future”.
It’s why we started a petition invoking the UK Government to help save the plant.
Ms Morden, who was re-elected last week, said: “With investment it could produce steel for electric vehicles, for which demand is set to grow and grow.
“The irony is that although the Government support Jaguar Land Rover to develop electric vehicles, they have not stepped in with Tata to help that vital component of an end-to-end supply chain.
“The steel industry should be at the forefront of the Government’s thinking in Brexit negotiations and in the construction of future trade deals.”
Click here to download the petition: Complete Petition.pdf
Print it out, sign it, get your friends and family to sign it and drop it into the Argus office in Cardiff Road, Maesglas, Newport, NP20 3QN.
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