Agenda item

Councillor Robert Wood asked the following question to Council:

“How many Tata Steel employees have we interviewed for council jobs and then gone on to employ, since the offer of a guaranteed interview was made to Tata Staff, affected by the blast furnace closures at Port Talbot Steelworks.”

Cllr Simon Knoyle, Cabinet Member for Finance Performance and Social Justice responded:

“In support of employees of Tata Steel who are at risk of redundancy, or have been made redundant in 2024, Neath Port Talbot Council is offering a guaranteed interview for jobs across the Council.  Applicants must meet the essential criteria for the post to qualify for this.  If an applicant is or is going to be affected by the job losses at Tata Steel then we welcome an applications from them.  Applicants just need to make it known on the application form that they are currently at risk of redundancy or have been made redundant.

To date, as a result of this, 9 former Tata employees have successfully secured employment with the council. We do not have records of how many have applied and been interviewed.  I would also advise members that the Council is leading the delivery of the Board’s funded employability programme which seeks to match people seeking work with jobs available in the economy. A team to deliver this service has been in place since 1^st September 2024.  Should members be interested in a fuller briefing on the overall work we are doing to support people at risk of redundancy we would be happy to provide that briefing.”

Cllr Wood followed on by asking what more should and could be done to improve outcomes for ex Tata interviewees.

A general update was given on the ongoing work of the Transition Board, and the opening of the ‘Hub’ in the Aberafan Shopping Centre and the Leader committed to bringing a detailed update on the work of the Transition Board to Council in due course.