Young Llanwern steel worker hopeful despite Tata jobs cut

The news that Tata were pulling their blast furnaces out of Port Talbot to replace them with electric arc furnaces came with the unwanted promise to slash jobs – including 300 at Llanwern works on the eastern side of Newport in the next three years.

The Argus previously spoke to Reg Gutteridge, chairman of the union at Llanwern, and worker John Ford about their concerns over the news. However, while the announcement is devastating for the two men, who are both in their 50s, for the next generation of workers at Port Talbot and Llanwern, the news really is devastating.

In fact, in a word, Callum Ford, 26, son of John, summed it up better by saying it's downright scary.

Mr Ford Jnr has been at Llanwern for four years, having completed his training there. He works in the entry and exit sections of the Zodiac plant which galvanizes steel for bodies in car manufacturing.

Mr Ford Jnr takes home £2,000 a month, has just bought his first house in Bettws - and recently became a father after he and and fiancée Laura welcomed baby James into the world.

However, as Mr Ford said, it’s currently a scary world. He’s not sure what his future holds and for now is keeping his head down and carrying on with the job in hand.

Callum Ford says the news was 'scary' for him and his young family (Image: The Fords)

It makes it all the more concerning that the high-paying jobs offered in the steel industry – Mr Ford already earns over the Welsh national average wage of £24,000 a year – are specialised and very hard to duplicate in other roles in the overall workforce.

Mr Ford originally trained in sports at Bristol University and could have worked with Bristol City football club before following his great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents in the steel industry.

It was written that the Ford family built their legacy off of UK-produced steel. This legacy is now in jeopardy.

“It’s scary, it’s scary times, it’s not nice at all,” said Mr Ford Jnr. “Me and my fiancée were expecting to start our whole lives together. We’ve just had a baby boy and we are trying to start our life, but it could all be taken away from us and that is not a nice feeling."

Tata are slashing jobs at Llanwern on the eastern side of Newport in the next three years (Image: Google Maps)

Callum with fiancee Laura and baby James (Image: The Fords)

Tata announced they were slashing jobs in South Wales on January 19.

Chief executive Thachat Viswanath Narendran says the company’s “ambitious plans” will be difficult to implement, but is the right thing to do transforming the Port Talbot facility into one of Europe’s “premier centres for green steelmaking”.

However, Tata’s “ambitious” plans impact people like Mr Ford the most.

Read more

• Devastation, the single-word response at Llanwern Steelworks to the news Tata Steel is slashing thousands of jobs in Wales
• Tata explain Llanwern situation as workers fear for jobs
• Union leader tells Tata: 'We want a cast-iron guarantee'
• Unions warn of strikes following Tata Steel job loss announcement

Despite the perilous position he could be put in, the hope of youth persists even in this situation.

“I am hopeful,” said Mr Ford Jnr. “You never know.

“All I can do is put everything in what I am doing now and hope I am one of those who will stay.”

Tata Steel's Global CEO T. V. Narendran and UK CEO Rajesh Nair will be questioned by members of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee later today, Wednesday.