Wrexham Assembly Member Lesley Griffiths has joined Leighton Andrews, the Welsh Government’s Education and Skills Minister, to meet with under-threat Wrexham Remploy workers.
Leighton and Lesley met staff at the Remploy Stansty road factory site on the morning of Thursday 19th April. The AM for Wrexham and the Minister for Education and Skills took a tour of the factory and spoke with factory floor workers about their concerns.
Seven of the nine Remploy sites in Wales have been earmarked for closure under proposals recently outlined by the UK Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Government.
The visit follows a series of protests over the planned closure, including a protest last Thursday over Nick Cleggs refusal to meet with workers on a visit to the town.
Commenting on the visit, Lesley Griffiths said:
“You meet the workers and your heart simply goes out to them. This is a period of intense worry for these people and their families.
“I applaud Leighton for his efforts to engage with these people whose livelihoods are under threat as a result of this unfair UK Government proposal. This marks a stark contrast to the way Nick Clegg refused to meet with them and ran away from Remploy workers a week ago.
“Remploy workers can be assured the Welsh Government will continue to engage fully with them, as we look for a positive way forward. The UK Minister, Maria Miller, really needs to visit these Remploy sites for herself to see what excellent work is undertaken at them.
“We hope to see the next three years of funding for Welsh Remploy sites devolved to the Welsh Government, so we can save sites such as Wrexham Remploy and retain as many jobs as possible.”
