Leave-supporting Llanelli left reeling as manufacturing industry moves out due to Brexit

[editor]

Great voting, denizens of Llanelli!

The Welsh town of Llanelli – which voted 56.7 per cent to leave the EU in the referendum – has been left reeling after a major manufacturer upped sticks due to Brexit.

Global firm Schaeffler announced this week that it is to close its plant in Llanelli due to uncertainty over Britain’s departure from the European Union.

The closure was described as the “tremor that will lead to the Brexit earthquake” in the Welsh Assembly, with Juergen Ziegler, the company’s regional CEO, saying that the “need to plan for various complex scenarios” due to Brexit had played a part in their decision to leave Wales.

“A global business needs to regularly review market conditions and strive to optimise its footprint across different regions,” he said.

“The proposed measures we have taken for the UK reflect this business reality.”

Speaking in the Senedd, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price described the closure as the beginning of an earthquake set off by Brexit.

He also described the Labour Welsh Government as being “asleep at the wheel as we are being driven off a cliff” after it became apparent that they had only learnt of the closure this morning.

Welsh Assembly Member Lee Waters described the announcement as “very troubling”, with hundreds of skilled workers set to be out of work owing to the move.

And Plaid Cymru AM for Mid and West Wales Helen Mary Jones said it was “just the first step in the destruction of the manufacturing industry in Wales”.

“With the almost identical and equally destructive Brexit policies of the Conservatives and Labour, Wales faces an economic onslaught from Brexit with our communities paying the price.

Leave-supporting Llanelli left reeling as manufacturing industry moves out due to Brexit

 

[butchersapron]

Vote as the boss says then?

 

[editor]

Vote as the boss says then?

Try as I might, I can't see anywhere in that post where that is suggested.

I'd say informed voting after gaining an understanding of the the issues is the best way forward.

 

[butchersapron]

The 'fault' here is that the workers didn't appear to be making enough profit for the bosses to compete with/undercut what workers are being paid in the EU. That's the logic of of the EU. It's plain as day.

 

[editor]

The 'fault' here is that the workers didn't appear to be making enough profit for the bosses to compete with/undercut what workers are being paid in the EU. That's the logic of of the EU. It's plain as day.

The workers aren't at fault at all, but it's them who'll end up even more fucked.

 

[butchersapron]

The workers aren't at fault at all, but it's them who'll end up even more fucked.

By capital and the EU. This is the whole point of the EU - to set worker against worker, to enable capital mobility - which is exactly what this is. This should be laid at the EU's door not leave voters. If remain won the economic imperative to profit off workers more easily in europe - probably eastern europe - would remain and would play out, and the means to do so would have been put in place by the EU. They literally pay UK based capital to shut down business and move it into low wage EU regions.

 

[a_chap]

I seem to recall plenty of jobs at my previous employer being "near-shored", mostly to Poland (i.e. much cheaper workers) years before the EU referendum. We lost our entire accounting section, most of HR, IT and a couple of call centres. Admittedly a large chunk of IT went to Germany rather than Poland. But, hey ho, it supposedly saved a few million quid* so well worth it wouldn't you say.

*no it never

 

[editor]

It's always the workers who get fucking shafted however they vote, and Llanelli has already suffered more than many towns.

 

[seventh bullet]

Contradicting yourself, what with the sneer in the OP.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

It's always the workers who get fucking shafted however they vote, and Llanelli has already suffered more than many towns.

tbf, every company upping sticks at the moment is going to blame brexit, whether that's the real reason or not. Not like we haven't already had decades of factory closures across South Wales.

 

[danny la rouge]

tbf, every company upping sticks at the moment is going to blame brexit, whether that's the real reason or not. Not like we haven't already had decades of factory closures across South Wales.

And the experience, over many decades, of the local denizens, is that closures are always blamed on them: you’re not productive; you’ve got restrictive practises; it’s the unions. When unusually it’s basically labour arbitrage.

In those circumstances why should the local denizens believe a word they’re told about which way to vote would be great?

 

[Santino]

Anyway, they were probably racists.

 

[Wolveryeti]

The 'fault' here is that the workers didn't appear to be making enough profit for the bosses to compete with/undercut what workers are being paid in the EU. That's the logic of of the EU. It's plain as day.

Nothing to do with the increased frictions and costs of whatever shitter version of our current trading relationship we end up with post-Brexit then?

 

[butchersapron]

Nothing to do with the increased frictions and costs of whatever shitter version of our current trading relationship we end up with post-Brexit then?

Frictions? That's what workers and wages are. So less friction in the EU.

OK. Wages have gone up for the first time in ages since the referendum.

 

[Wolveryeti]

Frictions? That's what workers and wages are. So less friction in the EU.

Border checks and tariffs, you plum.

 

[butchersapron]

Border checks and tariffs, you plum.

But just them?

This is when economics becomes politics isn't it? Let's do these things because of economics.

 

[Wolveryeti]

OK. Wages have gone up for the first time in ages since the referendum.

Real (i.e. inflation-adjusted) wage growth since the referendum has been pitiful, due in no small part to the surge in inflation due to sterling's plunging value.

 

[butchersapron]

Ta.

 

[Wolveryeti]

But just them?

This is when economics becomes politics isn't it? Let's do these things because of economics.

Or pretend we want to preserve jobs while voting for things that are ostensibly destroying them.

 

[butchersapron]

Or pretend we want to preserve jobs while voting for things that are ostensibly destroying them.

Or pretend that you, a westminster schooled economics type have the slightest idea of why people voted to leave and further that your EU led free trade liberalistion has led to brexit and the conditions that you're now pretending to cry about.

 

[alcopop]

Wales shouldn’t have voted for brexit.

You reap what you sow...

 

[butchersapron]

Wales shouldn’t have voted for brexit.

You reap what you sow...

You cretin

 

[Wolveryeti]

tbf, every company upping sticks at the moment is going to blame brexit, whether that's the real reason or not.

Why - what would be the point?

 

[butchersapron]

They're not then. When they put out PR it is true.

2018. best school/

 

[Wolveryeti]

Or pretend that you, a westminster schooled economics type have the slightest idea of why people voted to leave and further that your free trade liberalistion has led to brexit and the conditions that you're now pretending to cry about.

I'm not crying (or pretending to cry) about anything. But I do like to call out virtue signalling BS when I see it (and there has been a lot on this thread.)

 

[butchersapron]

I'm not crying (or pretending to cry) about anything. But I do like to call out virtue signalling BS when I see it (and there has been a lot on this thread.)

Ta

 

[mauvais]

To go all Pogo, we did do the Schaeffler story already:

Is Brexit actually going to happen?

As this thread, it changes or resolves precisely nothing - people see whatever they want to see.

 

[phillm]

It would appear dear Editor what with all the time and energy you spend keeping this wonderful place going you don't have the time to read masses of arcane tomes and obscure blogs to keep up to speed with the Commentariat. And I for one am glad you have your priorities and your heart in the right place.

 

[Poi E]

Wales shouldn’t have voted for brexit.

You reap what you sow...

You bitter person. Where the fuck is your compassion?

 

[redsquirrel]

Wales shouldn’t have voted for brexit.

You reap what you sow...

I'm really hoping this is bad sarcasm. Otherwise fuck off frankly.