Churches rally in support of Welsh steel workers

Churches in Port Talbot have organised a service of support for steel workers affected by the potential closure of Tata Steel, writes Megan Cornwell.

The ecumenical service will be held at Ebenezer Baptist Chapel in Aberavon on 24 April at 3 p.m. The three Catholic parishes of Our Lady of Margam, St Joseph’s, and St Therese of Lisieux are involved.

In March the Indian company announced it was pulling out of all of its UK operations, putting at risk 15,000 jobs, 4,000 of which are in Port Talbot, home to Britain’s biggest steelworks.

“In this parish everyone is connected in some way or another to the steelworks,” Fr Paul Watson of Our Lady of Margam told The Tablet.

Fr Watson explained that the workers are waiting to see what solutions the British Government and the Welsh Assembly come up with.

“Some of the them are highly qualified electricians or have other specialisms, whereas others can only work in the steel industry and would have to be retrained,” he said.

The service is being led by the Anglican chaplain at Tata Steel, the Revd Rick Hayes, as a sign of solidarity. The Revd Peter Davies, a local Baptist minister, said the community “wanted to demonstrate the Christian concern for the steel workers and their families at this time”.

“It’s a very anxious moment for the local community,” he said. “There’s insecurity about the future.”

Mr Davies warned that the demands on the Port Talbot food bank and the debt charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) were likely to increase if no buyer is found for the company.