The Assembly gets ProActive...too little too late?

As the number of redundancies on my Job Loss Map tips 10,000, the Welsh Assembly announces:
"100 staff at the Japanese-owned automotive component manufacturer, Shimizu, based in Welshpool, could receive up to £2,000 of funding per individual for training and a wage subsidy of £2,000 each"

It's part of the new £48m ProAct scheme which aims to help employers keep their work force while orders drop-off. While they're not needed for their normal roles they'll be trained in up-to-date skills so that when orders pick up again the company will be well placed to meet demand.

Unfortunately the new programme is too late for the 500 steelworkers at Corus in Llanwern who learnt their fate a fortnight ago, the 200 workers at Sun-Juice who got confirmation of theirs today, or the Hoover workers who will get confirmation of theirs in the next couple of weeks, but it will be interesting to see if this is enough to protect the jobs in Welshpool, and indeed elsewhere when it's rolled out.

Ironically, today also saw Fforwm, the body representing Further Education colleges in Wales, claim that a £3m cut in Assembly funding will put 450 jobs at risk. So while 100 manufacturers in Welshpool will be offered training and job protection, the very people providing that training could face redundancy themselves.

One hand other, give and take...?

Help for the newly unemployed

The Assembly have announced £68m plans to help the newly redundant re-train and get back into work. They've been touting it as a response to the Corus announcement, although it seem this press release was published before the extent of the redundancies was confirmed.

Quick response or slick PR?

I also feel obliged to ask why the Welsh Assembly are paying to pick up the pieces when Corus have admitted (see the press release in yesterday's post) that they will be making £200m operating profits as a result of this 'competitiveness initiative'?

I also wonder how well the Unions have dealt with this situation. Back in December, there was talk of a 10% pay cut being offered to save jobs. Community Union apparently rejected it...now 10% of their members are being made redundant.

WAG announces back to work scheme

The Welsh Assembly has announced a £19m project to get the long-term unemployed back to work.

The money, which includes £10.5m from the European Social Fund, will be spent on getting nearly 3,000 people back into work.

They'll be given access to a case worker, who will provide guidance and support on their 'journey back into the job market'.

More info...