0:00:06 > 0:00:08Unmistakable.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11One of the most famous skylines in Wales -
0:00:11 > 0:00:15a view that has been captured on film countless times,
0:00:15 > 0:00:20a landscape that speaks of Wales' rich industrial heritage.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26I have been right inside the heart of it today and it's
0:00:26 > 0:00:31like being in the most beautiful place I've ever been.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35But the steel works is under threat,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39with hundreds of jobs already lost.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44I've just been made redundant.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Tell you what I'll do.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53There you go, there's my life over.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57There is a question mark hanging over the future of steel-making
0:00:57 > 0:01:03in Port Talbot, and indeed across Wales and most of the UK.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08It does feel like your whole world is collapsing around you
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and there's nothing you can do.
0:01:11 > 0:01:17Watching the despair on my husband's face.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23But it's this living in limbo at the moment, that's the killer.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I've been following the fate of the steel works for months -
0:01:26 > 0:01:30meeting workers and those affected in the wider community.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33What's the atmosphere been like over the last few months?
0:01:33 > 0:01:34It's been pretty bad.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Businesses along here are exceptionally worried.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39So how did it get to this
0:01:39 > 0:01:44and what can be done to help save it?
0:01:44 > 0:01:46I was brought up in this town.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49I know what it means for the steelworks to be
0:01:49 > 0:01:52right there at the heart of all your comings and goings.
0:01:52 > 0:01:53The two feed off each other -
0:01:53 > 0:01:57the steelworks is the town and the town is the steelworks.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00I can't imagine what life would be like here without it.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Port Talbot, south Wales.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23Home to 37,000 people and Britain's largest steel works,
0:02:23 > 0:02:31employing more than 4,000.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Anyone who's grown up in Port Talbot has grown up with the steelworks.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38The light that never goes out,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40the cloud that billows out from the chimneys and stacks.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44In fact, when I was a boy I thought that's where clouds came from.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47It was quite a frightening place during the day -
0:02:47 > 0:02:48dark and malevolent.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51But at night-time it was a comfort of a place.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54You could see it from the hills and the mountains around.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57All the lights, the flames.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02So it's a complicated relationship - it was frightening,
0:03:02 > 0:03:07it was comforting, it put food on the families' tables
0:03:07 > 0:03:13but it also exacted a high price at times.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17It's like the north star for the town.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21So many families' lives revolve around its axis.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24And there are not many families in this town who are not connected
0:03:24 > 0:03:26in some way by family members working there,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30or having worked there, including my own.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Well, the first person was your grandfather, Ivor Thomas.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38He went into the steel company.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Do you know what he did in there?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Well, they maintained the furnaces.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46So he'd come home sometimes with no eyebrows, no eyelashes.
0:03:46 > 0:03:55Blister on the end of his nose.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57And then you worked there.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58I worked in the drawing office.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00I was a junior secretary.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05I worked there for about 18 months until we got married in 1961.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Dad, you worked as part of the supply chain?
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Yeah, that's right - in the supply chain.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13I was working for a mechanical engineering company,
0:04:13 > 0:04:19specialist company, and we did works for Port Talbot Steel,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21which was the Abbey Works then.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23So our family is fairly typical?
0:04:23 > 0:04:25The whole of the town, the whole of the community
0:04:25 > 0:04:29is connected to the steel works, either directly or indirectly?
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Yes.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31Oh, yes.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32Every household, practically.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35And everyone wanted their sons and daughters to get jobs in there.
0:04:35 > 0:04:43Because then it was considered a job for life.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Steel-making has never been an easy way to eke out a living,
0:04:46 > 0:04:55with searing temperatures and danger lurking everywhere.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59But more recently, the workforce here has faced new challenges -
0:04:59 > 0:05:02an industry which has been losing millions and millions of pounds,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06an industry struggling to cope with global competition,
0:05:06 > 0:05:12an industry in crisis.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Then, in January, the first hammer blow to the steelworks.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Tata has confirmed it's shedding another 1,050 jobs
0:05:19 > 0:05:25in a fresh blow to the beleaguered steel industry.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28The news that 750 of those jobs will be lost here.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Unions have accused ministers of not doing enough
0:05:30 > 0:05:35to protect the industry from cheap Chinese imports.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Owners Tata said the action was necessary
0:05:37 > 0:05:40for the survival of the business.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46It's the middle of February, and, as the news begins to sink in,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49a group of steelworkers gather at a local rugby club,
0:05:49 > 0:05:54where they've agreed to meet me.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56How long have you been in the steelworks?
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I started my apprenticeship coming on ten years ago now.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04Did a four-year apprenticeship, then, in the cold mill.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Since you started ten years ago, has there always been
0:06:06 > 0:06:11worries about the situation at the steelworks?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Yeah, I think this time everyone realises it's a lot
0:06:13 > 0:06:16more serious than we've had before, like.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I think a genuine concern now for all our future.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22There's up to 12,000 contract workers there moving
0:06:22 > 0:06:25throughout Port Talbot and Llanwern and other places,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29so there's a lot of people directly involved.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32But if anything happened to the works, within the community,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34you've got all the businesses that are reliant on the wages
0:06:34 > 0:06:37coming from there into the community, you know.
0:06:37 > 0:06:44What's the kind of atmosphere like now with so much insecurity?
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It's quite low.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Everyone's very depressed - waiting.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50Down in the dumps.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53The atmosphere is quite poor.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58At the moment, nobody knows who's gonna be staying and who's going?
0:06:58 > 0:07:00If it does happen, if we are the unfortunate ones,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03at the end of the day, you've got to have some sort
0:07:03 > 0:07:05of living and go where the money is.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07It's sad what we're all going through and I think,
0:07:07 > 0:07:17without choking up here, it's a reality.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19There's nothing else out there for us youngsters.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21If I lost my job, I dunno what I'd do.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24The only thing I have ever known, my family for generations -
0:07:24 > 0:07:27my uncles, brother, all work there -
0:07:27 > 0:07:30I dunno what else I would do.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32It's all I have done, is steel.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35It's really worrying for us.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Two of the workers - father and son Nigel and Scott -
0:07:38 > 0:07:40All
0:07:41 > 0:07:42invite us back to their home.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44They live in Portardawe.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46The Bowdens are a proud steel-making family -
0:07:46 > 0:07:5690-year-old Cyril, Scott, 28, and Nigel, 54.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I remember the first day in the works, walking
0:08:02 > 0:08:06in and all the big machinery and all the cranes going overhead.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08It was quite frightening.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Nigel and Julie were married in 1984 - six years
0:08:11 > 0:08:16after he joined the steelworks.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Can you see the steel works over there?
0:08:20 > 0:08:23All the smoke coming out?
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Scott followed in his family's footsteps, and got a job
0:08:25 > 0:08:32at Port Talbot when his son Thomas was one year old.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Would you like to work there one day?
0:08:34 > 0:08:35Yeah?
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Between them, Scott, Nigel and Cyril have clocked up
0:08:37 > 0:08:4177 years in the steel industry.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42I can't see it closing entirely.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45I just can't see that at Port Talbot.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48If it did, it would be desolate, wouldn't it?
0:08:48 > 0:08:49Obviously.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Scott and Nigel now have to wait until March to find out
0:08:52 > 0:08:54if they are one of the 750
0:08:54 > 0:08:58who will be losing their jobs from Port Talbot.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01I just turned 54 last month, so if I was made redundant now
0:09:01 > 0:09:06I wouldn't be able to access my pension till I'm 65.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10So I'd have to last 11 years with no income,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13just a redundancy payment, whatever that's going to be.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16So it's a big worry for me at the moment, in that respect.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19But I'm also concerned for the likes of Scott.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Obviously I've got to support my partner, my son,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26so I'd hopefully get another job what I'm paid now.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30So, whether that means moving away I don't know.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35Hopefully not - all my family's here.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Father and son pitted against each other.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41So you're back in tonight, are you?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44I'm back in tonight, yeah, doing a two-day shift.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47They work in the same area of the steel works and will be
0:09:47 > 0:09:49scored against one another, and their colleagues,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54to determine who stays and who goes.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57I could have a job and my dad could not have a job.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01I would prefer that my dad had a job and I would leave
0:10:01 > 0:10:05because he's only got a year left and his retirement,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I'm young enough to find hopefully another job
0:10:07 > 0:10:11and start another career.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16But where, but where?
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Workers - and their unions - have started to fight back.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26The campaign to save the steelworks has begun.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Save our steel industry.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Today, they're out in Port Talbot seeking support
0:10:30 > 0:10:36for the plant, and the fear of job losses is never far away.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39It's at the back of people's minds all the time, at home.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Family and friends are asking you, Have you heard anything,
0:10:41 > 0:10:42have you heard anything?
0:10:42 > 0:10:48It's that waiting game now for the next few weeks.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52It's not just workers like Chris affected by this,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55the whole of the town is.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57When the steelworks goes through a difficult time,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01the community feels its pain.
0:11:01 > 0:11:11There's always been that close relationship.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14The Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr Gaitskill
0:11:14 > 0:11:16had come here to Port Talbot in Glamorgan
0:11:16 > 0:11:18to set into motion with the flick of a lever
0:11:18 > 0:11:20the latest addition to the Abbey steelworks at Margam -
0:11:20 > 0:11:23the largest plant of its kind in Europe.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Port Talbot steelworks was originally called
0:11:25 > 0:11:32the Abbey Works, and was opened in its current form in 1951.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35The Abbey Works was not just of local or Welsh significance,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38it was a part of Britain's programme
0:11:38 > 0:11:42of reconstruction of its economy after the war.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44There was a big consumer boom in the 1950s.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47People wanted to make cars and domestic appliances,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52so demand for sheet steel was going through the roof.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56The '50s and '60s in Port Talbot were years of real prosperity.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58It was renowned as somewhere which had a casino,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02it had social clubs.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05The first casino in industrial Britain was opened in Port Talbot.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Here the steelworkers are the best paid in Britain.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12They live high in a style not normally associated with the Welsh.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17Their music also sung by a Welshman, Tom Jones...
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I think for a while it had Wales' only 50-metre pool, you know.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31There were facilities there you didn't get elsewhere.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34At its height, the workforce numbered 20,000.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Today, it's only a fifth of that.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41You do sometimes feel as though Britain's traditional industries
0:12:41 > 0:12:43are slightly forgotten and nobody really cares anymore
0:12:43 > 0:12:45whether we make steel or not.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Well, the people do still think it's important
0:12:48 > 0:12:50that Britain manufacturers steel
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and they recognise how bound up with that industry
0:12:54 > 0:12:59a community like Port Talbot is.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02In the words of the king,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04this plant will make a valuable contribution to our ability
0:13:04 > 0:13:13to maintain our historic position in a free world.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Growing up, the steelworks played a huge part in my life -
0:13:15 > 0:13:21always there in the background.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23But I've never been inside before, until now.
0:13:25 > 0:13:32Tata have agreed to let me in to see for myself how Welsh steel is made.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Yet another personal tie to the steelworks for me.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44David and I grew up together.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45That is around about 1,200 degree-ish.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46Wow.
0:13:46 > 0:13:53Just to see the size of it in there then.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00It's gonna keep on reducing the thickness now.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02As that gets thinner and thinner, it gets longer and longer
0:14:02 > 0:14:05ready for the next part of the process.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08That looks incredible.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10It just looks like something out of another
0:14:10 > 0:14:13world, or something.
0:14:13 > 0:14:32Oh, here we go.
0:14:32 > 0:14:38It's incredible to see this process going on.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43It's such a visceral process to watch it happening.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45You've got massive temperatures, huge noise, vast machinery
0:14:45 > 0:14:48moving and turning.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Water and oil, fire - all the elements.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56It's incredibly impressive.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04Of course, steel is made the world over now, and it's that global
0:15:04 > 0:15:06competition which has contributed to the crisis in British steel -
0:15:06 > 0:15:11a problem the industry has been highlighting for months.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16We face costs that our competitors don't face,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20and that is a result of Government
0:15:20 > 0:15:22policy over the years piling on those costs,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25but also the rapid rise in Chinese exports of steel that
0:15:25 > 0:15:28floods the UK market, the European market and the global
0:15:28 > 0:15:36market, and what that does to the global price of steel.
0:15:36 > 0:15:44So for the last 15 years we have been warning UK governments,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46a series of governments, that policy that it is developing
0:15:46 > 0:15:48is going to increase costs to us.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50And it's those increased costs which are being
0:15:50 > 0:15:56felt most keenly here.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58So, we're heading off towards the harbour, are we?
0:15:58 > 0:16:00We're going down to the heavy end
0:16:00 > 0:16:03now, with the harbour, blast furnace area.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Cos all this kind of piping and ducts, this
0:16:07 > 0:16:17is what in Port Talbot we've grown up with seeing all the time.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21So being in here and seeing it for the first time at my ripe
0:16:21 > 0:16:25old age is quite something.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28The boats wait out there until they're ready to come in.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Come into the harbour.
0:16:31 > 0:16:37They get offloaded by one of the unloaders.
0:16:37 > 0:16:47So that's the raw material coming off there,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50coming along that conveyor belt and taken along
0:16:50 > 0:16:52to the coke ovens.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55That's right.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57I've been invited to meet steelworker Graham Rowland,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01who's been cataloguing the history of the works.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03They were smelting on here during the 12th century,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05which is quite unique.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07This is the only steelworks in the world, I would say,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09that goes back that far.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10That still has a steelworks on it.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14So, in the 12th century there were monks...
0:17:14 > 0:17:15Monks smelting here.
0:17:15 > 0:17:21Is that the Abbey Wall?
0:17:21 > 0:17:22Yes.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25The myth is if the wall falls down the works closes.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26Right.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28So there's about 20 steelworkers standing around it
0:17:28 > 0:17:30constantly at the moment.
0:17:30 > 0:17:36Funnily enough we do a little work every now
0:17:36 > 0:17:38and again to make sure it stays...
0:17:38 > 0:17:46Just to make sure.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48You should get a good view of the blast furnace now,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51tapping off hopefully.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53That's the iron now being produced going into the torpedo.
0:17:53 > 0:17:59Just coming out of the blast furnace going into the torp.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03I've grown up in the town and had a relationship
0:18:03 > 0:18:06with the steelworks at a distance.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09So to be actually inside is like being in the heart of the town
0:18:09 > 0:18:16and everything I have come to find beautiful, which is the beauty
0:18:16 > 0:18:20of heavy industry, I have been right inside the heart of it today,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and so it's like being in the most beautiful place I've ever been.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25And the other thing is, walking around and meeting
0:18:25 > 0:18:28the people working in here, you can tell there is a real sense
0:18:28 > 0:18:37of massive pride about the work they are doing and a real sense
0:18:37 > 0:18:43of family about the people here, you get a real sense
0:18:43 > 0:18:45of that camaraderie here and the fierce pride
0:18:45 > 0:18:47in what they are doing.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49We are outside this blast furnace and this is the very heart
0:18:49 > 0:18:52of the British steel industry, what is going on in there.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54It's been an overwhelming experience, really, to be here.
0:18:54 > 0:19:01It's mid-March, and it's D-Day for many of the workers here.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Two months ago, the bombshell dropped that 750 jobs would have
0:19:03 > 0:19:06to be lost from the steelworks.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08And right at this very moment, inside there, individuals
0:19:08 > 0:19:11are learning their fate.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16If they do, or don't, have a job working for Tata steel.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19This is a week that will shape the lives of many families in Port
0:19:19 > 0:19:24Talbot and the surrounding area.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32In Pontardawe, it's been an anxious wait for the Bowden family.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Today, Nigel and Scott learn their fate at Tata.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Today you were both finding out about the status
0:19:36 > 0:19:38of your jobs at the steelworks, so what's the news?
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Thankfully I'm safe.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45I heard this morning.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Went down to the steelworks about 20 past nine.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52And it was literally within 30 seconds it was all done.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It's the waiting, the waiting's over now.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57What about you, Nigel?
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Fortunately, I'm safe as well, so we're both
0:19:59 > 0:20:01still in the same department.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04What's the feeling about the overall picture for the steelworks?
0:20:04 > 0:20:08I think people are still very disappointed
0:20:08 > 0:20:11in the fact that there's nothing seems to be done
0:20:11 > 0:20:13to help the industry.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16If the Government don't do something to help the steel industry soon,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18then I don't know how long this will last.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21I've been there 38 years now and I've never felt
0:20:21 > 0:20:26as insecure as I do now.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Even having had the letter to say I've still got a job.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Nigel and Scott are safe - for now.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32But other workers have not been so fortunate.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Taking time out from campaigning for the steel industry,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Chris James has also been learning his fate.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48I try to be positive during the day but it's caused me some sleepless
0:20:48 > 0:20:49nights at the moment.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52As soon as I see it, it makes me think about work,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54makes me think about the uncertainty, the future.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55What does the future hold?
0:20:55 > 0:21:01That's the big question at the moment.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Chris has only been employed by Tata for just over a year -
0:21:04 > 0:21:13he previously served in the Navy.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16This is my medal from Sierra Leone and this is my medal being involved
0:21:16 > 0:21:22in the Afghanistan conflict.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26I did 15 years in the Navy but no medals after 13 years and I got
0:21:26 > 0:21:28three medals in the last two years in service.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30In January, Chris's job in the BoS plant,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33where iron is made into steel, went - and he was moved
0:21:33 > 0:21:34to another department.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36But in March he went through the same selection
0:21:36 > 0:21:44process as Nigel, Scott and everyone else at the works.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Basically says "I regret to inform you that from the selection process
0:21:48 > 0:21:52you remain at risk of redundancy, and obviously your figures..."
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Well, because I haven't been there that long I got the fantastic
0:21:54 > 0:21:57figure of 0.00, my redundancy money if I was to leave.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01I actually got called in a different door,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03which pretty much assumed then was bad news.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I was expecting it, it wasn't a shock, but nonetheless having it
0:22:05 > 0:22:07there put in front of you is gutting.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08It really is.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10The steelworks sustains thousands of families
0:22:10 > 0:22:15in this area and beyond.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18I'm going to meet an expert who can tell me how that impact
0:22:18 > 0:22:22is felt right across Wales.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26What would you say is the significance of it
0:22:26 > 0:22:29for the Welsh economy today?
0:22:29 > 0:22:33The first thing is there aren't many jobs like steel left.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Somewhere like Tata will pay everybody double the minimum wage.
0:22:36 > 0:22:43And every one of those workers will be making hundreds
0:22:43 > 0:22:46of thousands of pounds' worth of steel.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49For every single job within Tata, there was another job and a quarter
0:22:49 > 0:22:51throughout the rest of the Welsh economy.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53That's a very, very high number in terms of supply chains,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55the wage spending of those workers.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00So with 750 jobs going from here - at Tata, in Port Talbot - what do
0:23:00 > 0:23:06you imagine the impact will be for Port Talbot and south Wales?
0:23:06 > 0:23:15The first thing is you will lose significant wages in the local
0:23:15 > 0:23:17economy, both in the supply chain for Tata itself
0:23:17 > 0:23:22and in the businesses
0:23:22 > 0:23:25supported by those wages - the plumbers, electricians,
0:23:25 > 0:23:26coffee shops, hotels and so on.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28There will be significant belt-tightening.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30The problem now is there's a longer-term question
0:23:30 > 0:23:32about confidence, and what places like Port Talbot will look
0:23:32 > 0:23:33like in the longer term.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35By the end of March, fears about the future
0:23:35 > 0:23:39of Port Talbot were growing.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42It became clear that it wasn't just the fate of 750 jobs
0:23:42 > 0:23:45which were at stake - it could be the entire future
0:23:45 > 0:23:49of the steelworks at Port Talbot.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53It's been reportedly losing up to ?1 million a day.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55And there are fears that a rescue package could be
0:23:55 > 0:24:01rejected by the Tata board.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Alan Coombs is packing to go to Mumbai, where Tata's
0:24:03 > 0:24:07headquarters are based, to try to convince them
0:24:07 > 0:24:10to accept a rescue package to save the steelworks.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14I'm going to go to Mumbai to speak to members of the board to ask them
0:24:14 > 0:24:17to have faith in the plan that we put together in Port Talbot.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Alan has worked in the steelworks since he was 16.
0:24:20 > 0:24:27He's now a union boss there.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31What I'm hoping is that if people have a view and it's not
0:24:31 > 0:24:33positive for Port Talbot, we can help change their minds
0:24:33 > 0:24:37as well by having a presence there and them understanding that
0:24:37 > 0:24:43there's families involved in this - not just this works that closes
0:24:43 > 0:24:47and everything's going to carry on as normal,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51because if you talk to people in Port Talbot I don't think there's
0:24:51 > 0:24:56anybody thinking they'll carry on as normal if the works closes.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01In India, Alan joins up with other union bosses and local MP
0:25:01 > 0:25:06Stephen Kinnock to lobby the Tata board members ahead of the meeting.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10They were very honest in how we'd performed up until now,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14saying there's been a load of plans put forward over the years but never
0:25:14 > 0:25:15really delivered on anything.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17And there was a feeling that they'd given us enough
0:25:17 > 0:25:23time and enough money.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Then the news that no-one in Port Talbot was expecting.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30The top news story on 5 live this hour - Tata steel
0:25:30 > 0:25:34plans to sell its entire UK business, putting the jobs
0:25:34 > 0:25:37of thousands of workers at risk, including 4,000 at Port Talbot.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39It's understood the Government hasn't ruled out direct
0:25:39 > 0:25:41state involvement to try to save the British
0:25:41 > 0:25:45arm of Tata steel.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Back in Pontardawe, the announcement has come
0:25:47 > 0:25:54as a shock to Scott and Nigel.
0:25:54 > 0:26:01The future of UK steel hangs in the balance...
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I fear for the future now.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Two weeks ago we found out we were safe, but that didn't last
0:26:07 > 0:26:08very long, obviously.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09It's obviously irrelevant now.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11So just looking now...
0:26:11 > 0:26:13It just doesn't look very bright, does it,
0:26:13 > 0:26:14the future doesn't look bright.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17It Tata can't turn it round, and they're a massive company,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19you know, who's going to buy it?
0:26:19 > 0:26:29I think if the Government do something and take
0:26:29 > 0:26:31some steps with tariffs, energy costs, rates, perhaps invest
0:26:31 > 0:26:37in a power plant down there, then it might be viable.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39But without any help from the Government it's not.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41No.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It's been a roller-coaster couple of months for father and son Scott
0:26:44 > 0:26:46and Nigel - and Alan too.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Back from Mumbai, he reflects on a tumultuous couple of days.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55I try to put my own feelings on the back burner, so to speak,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59but at the end of the day I'm the same as everybody else.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03I've got a mortgage, I've got three kids - you think,
0:27:03 > 0:27:11what am I going to do?
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Come home last night, lying on the bed, 12 o'clock,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17and Isobel, my eldest girl, says, "What are you going to do for a job
0:27:17 > 0:27:19now, Dad, if this closes?"
0:27:19 > 0:27:20This news changed everything.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23It was bad enough that 750 jobs were going to be lost
0:27:23 > 0:27:25from the steelworks and from the local community,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28but now the place is fighting for its very survival.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Save our steel, save our steel.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34The political heat is on.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Business Secretary Sajid Javid pays his first visit to Port Talbot,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39after criticism he was in Australia
0:27:39 > 0:27:44at the time of the crucial board meeting in Mumbai.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46In your words, have we got...
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Have we got an industry?
0:27:49 > 0:27:51The industry is absolutely vital to the future
0:27:51 > 0:27:52of the UK industrial sector.
0:27:52 > 0:28:02Absolutely vital.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05And it's not just Port Talbot up for sale.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06Tata's UK business includes smaller plants
0:28:06 > 0:28:11in Llanwern, Llanelli and Shotton.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12They're all under threat.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Within days, the Business Secretary pays another visit to Port Talbot.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20This time he meets with union representatives.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22It's a million miles away from where we've been
0:28:22 > 0:28:24with the announcement of everything up for sale
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and things looking pretty gloomy.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Now we're trying to concentrate on the positive side of things
0:28:29 > 0:28:33and hopefully now get a buyer in.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36It's a bit of a roller-coaster ride at the moment.
0:28:36 > 0:28:42There's a lot of down and a lot of ups as well.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44When your emotions are stretched so far in both directions,
0:28:44 > 0:28:48it does become a bit difficult.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50As we are filming outside the Port Talbot plant,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53we are approached by a worker.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56I want you to give this to David Cameron
0:28:56 > 0:28:58and tell him to wear it with pride,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01because I can't - I've just been made redundant.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Ten years of my life down the drain.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06How do I explain to my four children and my wife,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09like, I no longer work?
0:29:09 > 0:29:11How do you survive?
0:29:11 > 0:29:13I'm 55 this week.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15But do you think someone's gonna give me
0:29:15 > 0:29:18a job at the age of 55?
0:29:18 > 0:29:24I dunno what the next step is in my life.
0:29:24 > 0:29:34Tell you what I'll do - there you go, there's my life over.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Peter, who was a contractor at Tata for ten years driving large
0:29:44 > 0:29:51industrial vehicles, invites us to his home in Neath.
0:29:51 > 0:29:58These are my two daughters - Nicola and Kayla.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00I have been made redundant today.
0:30:00 > 0:30:07I don't know what to do now.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11How we gonna run two cars and the...and the house?
0:30:11 > 0:30:19Not only that...
0:30:19 > 0:30:21Devastated.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23But there we are, love.
0:30:23 > 0:30:33Never mind.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Everything's also changed for Chris and his wife Sian.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40They both hoped he would be at the plant
0:30:40 > 0:30:42for the rest of his working life.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45It does feel like your whole world is collapsing around you
0:30:45 > 0:30:47and there's nothing you can do.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49Watching the despair on my husband's face,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52knowing I can't do anything about it,
0:30:52 > 0:30:57it leads then into questions -
0:30:57 > 0:30:59him questioning himself,
0:30:59 > 0:31:04questioning why he was de-selected, why him?
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Chris is hoping there might be another job at the steelworks
0:31:07 > 0:31:10he could be moved in to.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12But while he waits, he's been told
0:31:12 > 0:31:14he finishes his employment with Tata at the end of May.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16We can't plan anything at the moment,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18that's the frustrating part as well.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20So everything's just on hold.
0:31:20 > 0:31:21We were looking next year, hopefully,
0:31:21 > 0:31:23or maybe later on this year getting a mortgage.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25But that's just pie in the sky now.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30I don't know when we'll be in a position like this ever again.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32There are no good employers out there anymore
0:31:32 > 0:31:34that pay a decent wage.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37People can look at us and think, well, they're a young couple
0:31:37 > 0:31:38who haven't got small children
0:31:38 > 0:31:41so it's not going to impact on them that much.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Well, it will impact on us.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48It's going to turn our lives upside down.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52But it's this living in limbo at the moment, that's the killer.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Watching my husband killing himself every day,
0:31:55 > 0:32:04fighting to save an industry that he may not be part of.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Tata directly employs 4,100 people at its Port Talbot
0:32:12 > 0:32:16site, and thousands more are employed as contractors.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18But its influence can be felt beyond the gates
0:32:18 > 0:32:25and in the very heart of the town.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27So where are you going next year?
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Don't know.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Can I get a coffee please?
0:32:31 > 0:32:32Cappuccino?
0:32:32 > 0:32:33Latte?
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Latte please.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Business is down, definitely down.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Particularly the take-away aspect of the business.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41We get a lot of people coming to the back door...
0:32:41 > 0:32:48Which is steelworkers basically.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51People are afraid.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54They're going to start cutting down.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57What's the atmosphere been like over the last few months?
0:32:57 > 0:32:58It's been pretty bad.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Businesses along here are exceptionally worried.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04Myself, because of the business and my husband's job -
0:33:04 > 0:33:06he's in the works.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08He works in the works.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10For me it's two incomes lost.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15Yeah.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Has your family got connections with the steel works?
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Yeah, they've been in there since 1908.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25My great-great-grandfather started in there, his son,
0:33:25 > 0:33:27my great grandfather.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32My father's in there and my uncle.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36They're in there now.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Yeah, and I nearly went in there.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41But to be honest with you it's lucky I didn't,
0:33:41 > 0:33:47the way it's going in there.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49A lot of customers are worried about their jobs -
0:33:49 > 0:33:51a heck of a lot of customers.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53What are the sort of different feelings
0:33:53 > 0:33:54that you've heard people expressing?
0:33:54 > 0:33:56There's a lot of uncertainty.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00If that goes, it's the town going.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02It literally built the town.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06It built the Sandfields estate, it's built all the surrounding areas.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09A massive amount of people living and working in the town
0:34:09 > 0:34:15work in there and rely on it.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16Most people in the town,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19if they don't actually work in the steelworks themselves,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21have a relative, or a friend or a neighbour
0:34:21 > 0:34:31who has some kind of connection to it.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33But it doesn't just provide jobs here,
0:34:33 > 0:34:35it is part of the very essence, the fabric of the town.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37It's what makes Port Talbot.
0:34:37 > 0:34:38And it has done for generations.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40THEY SHOUT
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Aberafon Rugby Club are involved in a schools' rugby
0:34:42 > 0:34:45and football league in the area,
0:34:45 > 0:34:51which has support from the steelmakers.
0:34:51 > 0:34:52This club was established in 1876,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55and it's formerly with British Steel, Corus,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Tata - they've always been here.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00They've always been a fundamental part of the town.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03Tata - along with both Corus and British Steel before it -
0:35:03 > 0:35:07have a close relationship with the local community.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Their workers do charity work in the area, the company supports
0:35:10 > 0:35:16the elderly and they sponsor football and rugby teams.
0:35:16 > 0:35:17Thankfully, for Tata Steel,
0:35:17 > 0:35:19they provided every single primary school in Port Talbot with kit -
0:35:19 > 0:35:22rugby and netball kit.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Boys, we're still tackling up here.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27So now, all the children have got beautiful kit
0:35:27 > 0:35:29which they designed themselves.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32And, without Tata Steel, we just wouldn't be able to run
0:35:32 > 0:35:33and provide these children with these opportunities.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37WHISTLE BLOWS
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Looking around the ground here, 60-70% of the businesses involved
0:35:39 > 0:35:43with the rugby club are customers of Tata Steel, and that's how big
0:35:43 > 0:35:49the involvement is with these organisations in the area.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54The club's always had players from that working community.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Club captain Ian Moore is one of six rugby players
0:35:56 > 0:35:59who work at the steelworks.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02But he doesn't know for how much longer.
0:36:02 > 0:36:03It's horrible, innit?
0:36:03 > 0:36:05You don't know your future.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07I'm in my mid-30s, got a house, two young children.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11It's a frightening time for everyone.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13It's your livelihood, at the end of the day.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14If that place closes,
0:36:14 > 0:36:21basically Port Talbot would be a ghost town.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23The local community is also getting behind the campaign
0:36:23 > 0:36:24to save the steelworks.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28Save our steel.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Today, Alan's watching his daughter play football.
0:36:31 > 0:36:38Call 'em, Mill!
0:36:38 > 0:36:41I think he's doing a good job like trying to like save it
0:36:41 > 0:36:45and he's been going to like loads of like meetings
0:36:45 > 0:36:49in London and stuff.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52We'd like to go on holidays this summer but we don't know
0:36:52 > 0:36:59if we can cos he's away and trying to save Tata Steel.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02It's the beginning of April, and Alan and his fellow workers
0:37:02 > 0:37:04are doing their best to keep their campaign
0:37:04 > 0:37:06in the public eye.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08When we walk around the pitch today with a banner,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10I'm gonna be proud to be a part of it.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14I'm really looking forward to it.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Swansea City are allowing us to go round the pitch
0:37:16 > 0:37:18with our Save Our Steel banner.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22We are very grateful and hopefully the crowd will support us as well.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Please welcome representatives of the steel industry.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35It was amazing, hairs on the back of your neck standing up.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38It was emotional walking out onto the pitch
0:37:38 > 0:37:39with a standing ovation from the Swansea supporters
0:37:39 > 0:37:43and Chelsea supporters.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46The policeman, all the players ground staff wishing us well,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48clapping us.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51It was absolutely amazing - can't thank them enough.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53Really shows spirit, and the community is on our side.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Just pushes us now ready for Monday, back into work,
0:37:56 > 0:37:57and keep the fight going.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58Gives us a lift.
0:37:58 > 0:38:06Unbelievable.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09The threat of the steelworks closing is a very real concern for people
0:38:09 > 0:38:11who live around here,
0:38:11 > 0:38:21but potential saviours have begun to emerge.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25The first to declare an interest was Liberty Steel,
0:38:25 > 0:38:26which has a base in Newport.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28The boss is Sanjeev Gupta, who had admitted
0:38:28 > 0:38:32his plans to take over Tata were written on the back of an envelope.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35But he's now a serious contender.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38I have spent the last few weeks endlessly working at this.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41I am literally doing nothing else.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44We work 16-18 hours every single day.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46We have amassed an amazing team, both internally and externally.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50And we have been working very, very, very hard.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52At that stage, Mr Gupta's plans did not include
0:38:52 > 0:38:56the iconic blast furnaces at Port Talbot.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59They would be replaced with electric arc furnaces,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01which use scrap steel.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06He insisted jobs wouldn't be lost as a result.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09An arc furnace process, or scrap processing furnace,
0:39:09 > 0:39:11is actually more job intensive than a blast furnace.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Because a blast furnace, if you can imagine,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16is fairly automated.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Whereas in scrap processing there is a lot of manual element.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22It's at least the same number of jobs, generally speaking.
0:39:26 > 0:39:27Oh, excellent.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28Thank you very much indeed.
0:39:28 > 0:39:29Appreciate your help.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Thanks Emma, bye-bye.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34But Alan is hoping that the successful buyer
0:39:34 > 0:39:40will keep the blast furnaces, and steel making, at Port Talbot.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43When you get people like Liberty saying about arc furnaces and that,
0:39:43 > 0:39:45I can understand where they're coming from,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47but they need to look at the bigger picture
0:39:47 > 0:39:49and they need to understand more about the process
0:39:49 > 0:39:52and more about what the opportunities are.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56So never say never, you don't know.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59To be here in any shape and form would be a plus.
0:39:59 > 0:40:06But obviously everybody wants it to be exactly the same as it is now.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Alan's off to meet with the head of Tata at Port Talbot
0:40:09 > 0:40:12to discuss a proposed management buyout.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15Within days, it's confirmed that local businessmen
0:40:15 > 0:40:20are backing this proposal, led by Tata boss Stuart Wilkie.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24We have a very good plan, a plan that consists of 680 elements,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27fully backed by the trade unions, the workforce
0:40:27 > 0:40:31and the management within the business.
0:40:31 > 0:40:32It's essentially the same plan
0:40:32 > 0:40:40rejected by the board of Tata in Mumbai at the end of March.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Steelworkers Scott and Nigel, with their partners Lisa and Julie,
0:40:43 > 0:40:49are unclear if they are being asked to invest in the plan.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50There's rumours going about ?10,000 each,
0:40:50 > 0:40:54but some people can't afford ?10,000.
0:40:54 > 0:41:03No, of course they can't.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Do you feel like there's any more security then
0:41:09 > 0:41:12or do people feel that they're going to have a job
0:41:12 > 0:41:13at the end of the day?
0:41:13 > 0:41:17More optimistic.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20And even if they do, there might be redundancies anyway.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Might be, yes, there might be more redundancies.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24People's more optimistic there now that something could happen.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27The UK Government said it would be willing to take a 25% stake in any
0:41:27 > 0:41:31rescue of Tata's UK operations.
0:41:31 > 0:41:36And the Welsh Government has pledged ?60 million.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39So, what can the Welsh Government actually do to help?
0:41:39 > 0:41:41What we've put on the table is a package.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44A commercial loan to convert one of the lines.
0:41:44 > 0:41:51Another ?30 million on top for the...
0:41:51 > 0:41:52another lot of ?30 million for environmental improvements
0:41:52 > 0:41:54which help with reducing costs.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56And more money for skills and training as well.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Now one of the things we're looking at is,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00could we do more helping with business rates?
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Why is that not something you've felt you couldn't do already?
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Well, we control business rates
0:42:04 > 0:42:06but there's been historically a limit to what we can do
0:42:06 > 0:42:08in terms of competition rules
0:42:08 > 0:42:10as to how much business relief we can give.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12We are looking at whether there are different ways
0:42:12 > 0:42:13of delivering that.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16So, both governments have now put forward offers
0:42:16 > 0:42:19of support for a new buyer.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22The Westminster government has also announced measures aimed at helping
0:42:22 > 0:42:24the industry here - such as cutting energy costs and promising
0:42:24 > 0:42:31to buy British.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33If I could call you all to order.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38There are also more details emerging of the planned management buyout.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40Lots to discuss at a meeting of union reps.
0:42:40 > 0:42:41Today has changed a lot.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43This meeting was planned two weeks ago.
0:42:43 > 0:42:44Just to give an update.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Obviously with news today coming from government there's a lot more
0:42:47 > 0:42:50to talk about than we thought we were going to talk about,
0:42:50 > 0:42:54to be honest with you.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57There was a lot more positivity than we normally have.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00But the reality is there's still a lot of work to do,
0:43:00 > 0:43:01with people losing their jobs through redundancies.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05So that, rightly so, takes priority over everything.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07People are a lot more settled than they were.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10So that's got to be good going forward.
0:43:11 > 0:43:17The fight to save the steelworks goes on - but it's
0:43:17 > 0:43:20too late for Peter.
0:43:20 > 0:43:28This is my P45 - that's it now, I'm officially unemployed.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Unemployed, mate.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33Never been unemployed.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37First time.
0:43:37 > 0:43:43Shocking, innit?
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Right, where do I go from here?
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Kaelagh?
0:43:51 > 0:44:03Can you come down here and help me with this CV, love?
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Ten years in the steelworks.
0:44:06 > 0:44:11Before that I worked in Morrisons for two years.
0:44:11 > 0:44:16Before that I was a househusband bringing you up for five years.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19Before that I worked in Sony for ten years.
0:44:19 > 0:44:26Because I'm a driver, a plant driver, that's what I do.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28I drive plant and I use machines.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31They'll probably want to know what I done in the steelworks.
0:44:31 > 0:44:32I got all these licences.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34I suppose that will be something to put on there.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37But Peter's licences are no good to him.
0:44:37 > 0:44:42They cannot be used outside the steelworks.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54You can't live your life dwelling on the past.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57You gotta move forward, and the sooner I get these licences
0:44:57 > 0:45:00the quicker I can get a job, the quicker I can move forward,
0:45:00 > 0:45:02for the sake of me and my family.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05Hello, how can I help you?
0:45:05 > 0:45:06I got an appointment with John.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09OK.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12If you take a seat just there I'll let him know that you're here.
0:45:17 > 0:45:18Hi, Peter.
0:45:18 > 0:45:19Hi, John.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21Hi, would you like to join me?
0:45:21 > 0:45:29Yeah, brilliant.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32He's offered me ?1,500 for various licences,
0:45:32 > 0:45:38so I can get three or four licences out of that.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41And I was quite surprised that the tickets only take a fortnight.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43So, I could be in work within a month.
0:45:43 > 0:45:51Yes.
0:45:51 > 0:45:57For every story like Peter's there are dozens and dozens more.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59There are businesses the length and breadth of south Wales
0:45:59 > 0:46:05who rely on the steel plant.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09There's something like 90, 100 suppliers to Fairwood Fabrications
0:46:09 > 0:46:19throughout south Wales, from Newport to Carmarthen.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23They are being affected now in their turnover and the business
0:46:23 > 0:46:24they are doing with us.
0:46:24 > 0:46:25It's having a huge effect.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27Fairwood Fabrications was set up by the current chairman's father.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30The business started 37 years ago.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33He took his redundancy from what was then Corus and built it up
0:46:33 > 0:46:35from there over 37 years.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Up until last December, 80% of the company's
0:46:37 > 0:46:41business was with Tata.
0:46:41 > 0:46:49We would have between 200 and 250 personnel working for Fairwoods -
0:46:49 > 0:46:54the majority of those, 200-plus on site, they would be
0:46:54 > 0:46:56on the contract labour, 200-plus on site, they would be
0:46:56 > 0:46:58which was maintenance.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00Basically, giving them a 24/7 service.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03We've lost virtually all our work in Tata and we've lost
0:47:03 > 0:47:04over 100 employees.
0:47:04 > 0:47:09We are now working at 90 people.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Fairwood is now winning new business and they're confident things
0:47:11 > 0:47:13can be turned around.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21Early morning, and Chris is joining up with other
0:47:21 > 0:47:26steelworkers in Port Talbot.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29We're just about to get the bus coming in now, any minute now -
0:47:29 > 0:47:31make our mark on London.
0:47:33 > 0:47:40What do we want out of today?
0:47:40 > 0:47:43The first one is Tata have got to be responsible sellers
0:47:43 > 0:47:52and make sure they're doing the right thing.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01And the second one is about putting pressure on the Government
0:48:01 > 0:48:03to have a proper industrial strategy going forward.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05They're heading off for a rally, and joining steelworkers
0:48:05 > 0:48:07from across Britain for a march on Parliament.
0:48:22 > 0:48:30CAR HORNS HONK, WHISTLES BLOW
0:48:42 > 0:48:44You only have to look around, the cars passing.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45The UK public are behind us.
0:48:45 > 0:48:52We are getting support from the UK public.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Save our steel, save our steel.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56Save our steel, save our steel. What I'm doing is I'm phoning people
0:48:56 > 0:48:58up and saying you've got to have confidence.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00We've got confidence as a government.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02When you see all the support coming together from the UK,
0:49:02 > 0:49:08it's absolutely unbelievable.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10Knowing communities are on our side,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13it's something special.
0:49:13 > 0:49:19The truth is the Government gets this, that's
0:49:19 > 0:49:21why we've offered to invest hundreds of millions of pounds,
0:49:21 > 0:49:23take up to 25% stake in any new business.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25We get this, I can assure you.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28The question now is to make sure if Tata are going to sell
0:49:28 > 0:49:30they sell to someone who has a long-term plan
0:49:30 > 0:49:34to secure the future.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36Everywhere I've gone, and I've been to almost
0:49:36 > 0:49:37all the steelworks now,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40there are a number of striking features, and one of the most
0:49:40 > 0:49:43striking features is the quality of the people that work there.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46Stand up and save our steel, stand up and save our steel.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Whilst political parties agree they want to save Port Talbot,
0:49:49 > 0:49:52they say big changes will be necessary.
0:49:52 > 0:50:01What's the future for the steelworks in Port Talbot,
0:50:01 > 0:50:03and the industry generally in Britain?
0:50:03 > 0:50:05How do you move forward in a healthy positive way?
0:50:05 > 0:50:08The challenge is to make sure that you're not producing steel
0:50:08 > 0:50:10that is being produced all over the world.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13If you do that, you're competing with people whose costs are lower.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15So how do you get around that?
0:50:15 > 0:50:17You invest in facilities where the quality is better and then
0:50:17 > 0:50:24of course you can make sure that you can pay people more.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27The word is now, they're almost back in profit again now.
0:50:27 > 0:50:28Shows all kinds of possibilities?
0:50:28 > 0:50:30It shows how variable the whole thing
0:50:30 > 0:50:32is because the million-pound-a-day loss was on the basis of a real
0:50:32 > 0:50:34depression in the price of steel.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37I know that a few weeks ago they cut that loss by two thirds,
0:50:37 > 0:50:37there's talk now that it's breaking even again.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44For any prospective buyer of Tata's steel business there's one massive
0:50:44 > 0:50:47hurdle to overcome - pensions.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49It's very much in the minds of steelworkers like Nigel,
0:50:49 > 0:50:53who had hoped to retire next year.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55Everyone's saying the big stumbling block could be
0:50:55 > 0:51:00the pensions - the deficit.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03Everyone's goal working down there was to have a job for life -
0:51:03 > 0:51:05then retire at 60 with a nice pension.
0:51:05 > 0:51:11Obviously that's now changed.
0:51:11 > 0:51:18My plan is to get to retire at some point with a pension but if that
0:51:18 > 0:51:21pension fund is taken away I'll probably be there until I'm 65,
0:51:21 > 0:51:28not 60, and have a much smaller pension then.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30Workers could face cuts in their pensions, as the company
0:51:30 > 0:51:35faces a deficit of ?700 million.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38Now, the UK government has announced a month-long consultation
0:51:38 > 0:51:41Hell
0:51:41 > 0:51:44into the scheme, which goes back to the days of the old British Steel.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47Well, one thing is sure, the future of this town and this
0:51:47 > 0:51:49community is completely tied up with what happens
0:51:49 > 0:51:57to this steelworks.
0:51:57 > 0:52:02Not just economically, but in terms of this town's identity.
0:52:02 > 0:52:07Who this town is, who these people are.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14Port Talbot is facing hundreds of job losses already announced.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Public bodies - like health boards and local councils -
0:52:16 > 0:52:22are braced to step in.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25The scale of the challenge is huge, the implications for the town
0:52:25 > 0:52:29and surrounding area are massive.
0:52:29 > 0:52:39We're talking about thousands of jobs and the impact on public
0:52:41 > 0:52:50services, the wellbeing of the communities, in a sense,
0:52:50 > 0:52:53it's a sort of replay of where we were with pit closures
0:52:53 > 0:52:56in the 1980s, it's on that sort of scale.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58If the worst was to happen, steelworks to close down.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Is there some kind of Plan B?
0:53:00 > 0:53:01We're not contemplating closure of the steelworks.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03This isn't a town that gives up.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05People are facing challenges and uncertainties but there
0:53:05 > 0:53:07is a grim determination to do what they're good at.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10And continue to do what they're good at, which is making steel.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13That's all workers at the plant want to do.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17Workers like Nigel and Scott.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20It's been a very anxious five months for them - but they're hopeful
0:53:20 > 0:53:26things will work out.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29Given there is still a lot of anxiety and insecurity, not
0:53:29 > 0:53:34knowing what is going to happen, at least you are feeling optimistic
0:53:34 > 0:53:43at the moment that there is a future in the steelworks for both of you.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45So long as potentially a buyer comes in, or as I said,
0:53:45 > 0:53:48Tata might keep it - the Government have promised to help.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51As long as it stays open we're hopefully pretty safe.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53We're on the top of the roller-coaster at the moment.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55But who knows what's going to happen next week?
0:53:55 > 0:53:56Yeah, that's right.
0:53:56 > 0:53:57In this story.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00There's been a lot of ups and downs so far and we're
0:54:00 > 0:54:01expecting another one.
0:54:01 > 0:54:02Yeah.
0:54:02 > 0:54:03Yeah.
0:54:03 > 0:54:08Wait and see what happens now.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10It's not been plain sailing for Peter either - he's
0:54:10 > 0:54:11still looking for a job.
0:54:11 > 0:54:12Hello.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14How you doing?
0:54:14 > 0:54:15So what are the job prospects out there?
0:54:15 > 0:54:20Have you had a look and seen what's around?
0:54:20 > 0:54:26Constantly on the internet.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29I've spent more time on the internet this last five weeks
0:54:29 > 0:54:30than I've ever done.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32I didn't realise how difficult it is to find a job, like.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34And it is.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38I went as far as Cardiff to try and find a job, and I can't.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40What's the last four or five weeks been like,
0:54:40 > 0:54:41since you lost the job?
0:54:41 > 0:54:43It's been a nightmare, to be honest with you.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46As far as I was concerned it was a job for life
0:54:46 > 0:54:48and I was going to retire in the steelworks.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51And here I am now, back to square one, so to speak.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54How are you feeling about your prospects for getting a new job?
0:54:54 > 0:54:55I'm feeling good at the moment.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57I just passed my second test today.
0:54:57 > 0:55:02It'll take ten days - it's a proper licence,
0:55:02 > 0:55:03you know what I mean?
0:55:03 > 0:55:05Still no job, but Peter won't give up and he's
0:55:05 > 0:55:07trying to remain optimistic.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11I can apply now, now I've got them licences.
0:55:11 > 0:55:12Happy days.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15That's amazing.
0:55:15 > 0:55:20You're a good teacher, maybe you should start teaching guitar?
0:55:20 > 0:55:21That's the end of it, innit?
0:55:21 > 0:55:25And for Chris.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28After months of uncertainty, he's been told he's not being made
0:55:28 > 0:55:31redundant after all.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34So how did that feel when they told you there was a job there for you?
0:55:34 > 0:55:36It was relief, it was relief.
0:55:36 > 0:55:37It really was.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Because a few times I've been told, "There's a job,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42we've got you a job, you're safe," but nothing was happening.
0:55:42 > 0:55:43There was nothing official.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46Presumably even though you have got a job there's still a lot
0:55:46 > 0:55:47of insecurity that comes along with that.
0:55:47 > 0:55:53Course there is, course there is.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56I mean, one of the potential buyers already said they're going to get
0:55:56 > 0:55:59rid of another 1000 jobs - that's across the UK, not just
0:55:59 > 0:56:00in Port Talbot.
0:56:00 > 0:56:01Again, that's more worry.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04As a family, how do you plan for the immediate future now?
0:56:04 > 0:56:08It has given us a little bit of security and we can
0:56:08 > 0:56:12start planning again - but for how long?
0:56:12 > 0:56:17And what it's done for me, it's shaken me to the core
0:56:17 > 0:56:21and I think we need to start looking to see if we can survive on one
0:56:21 > 0:56:23income just in case.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25That's how much it's frightened me.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33The town and the community surrounding the steelworks have been
0:56:33 > 0:56:41scarred by the events of the last few months.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44The town and the community surrounding the steelworks have been
0:56:44 > 0:56:46scarred by the events of the last few months.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48And there seems to be no end in sight.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52We don't know when a new owner will be announced - if at all.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54After putting its entire UK business up for sale there's speculation Tata
0:56:54 > 0:57:01may decide to keep the business.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05What my biggest concern is, I suppose, is that
0:57:05 > 0:57:08the focus that has come on to this community because of what's happened
0:57:08 > 0:57:10over the last few months with the steelworks,
0:57:10 > 0:57:12it's shown that it's an incredibly dangerous situation for one
0:57:12 > 0:57:12community to be so dependent on an industry like this.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20Having been inside the steelworks and seen this extraordinary town
0:57:20 > 0:57:23within a town and people working together and the pride that
0:57:23 > 0:57:27people have inside there and the extraordinary kind of raw
0:57:27 > 0:57:35elemental power of heavy industry, matched together with the precision
0:57:35 > 0:57:37of the technology of the science that's going on there,
0:57:37 > 0:57:39that expertise, that knowledge, if this was to go down,
0:57:39 > 0:57:40would be lost.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42And that would be a terrible, terrible loss.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45Not only for this town but all of Wales, all of Britain.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47We can't let that happen.
0:57:47 > 0:57:52There has to be an alternative, no matter what happens
0:57:52 > 0:57:55to the steelworks, there has to be some kind of safety net for these
0:57:55 > 0:58:01people and this community, because if it can happen here -
0:58:01 > 0:58:04in a place that has been the heart of British industry for so long
0:58:04 > 0:58:09- then it can happen anywhere.
0:58:33 > 0:58:34Join us in Shropshire, to help a firefighter and his daughter out
0:58:34 > 0:58:36Join us in Shropshire, to help a firefighter and his daughter out
0:58:36 > 0:58:39of their cramped caravan and turn their desperate dream
0:58:39 > 0:58:40into a reality.