Welsh Conservatives have criticised the Labour-Plaid Cymru Assembly Government’s failure to produce a manufacturing strategy for Wales as “massively misguided”.
Shadow Minister for the Economy David Melding AM made the claim after car components manufacturer Bosch announced plans to close its plant near Cardiff with the loss of 900 jobs.
David said: “This devastating blow teaches us that we must anticipate more effectively economic trends and market conditions. Bosch was one of the iconic global brands attracted to Wales by the Welsh Development Agency. The Assembly Government’s failure to produce a manufacturing strategy is now seen to be massively misguided.
“How can we encourage Bosch workers to retrain when no-one knows what the Assembly Government’s strategy is for manufacturing in the future? Ministers have relied too much on a one size fits all policy through the ProAct scheme which clearly did not interest Bosch.
“The policies of the UK and Assembly governments are making Wales a less attractive place in which to invest or do business. We have the worst unemployment rate of any UK nation, one in four economically inactive, and large numbers of young people out of work.
“The news from Bosch only makes matters worse. We need a fresh approach to creating and protecting jobs, supporting businesses, investing in skills and training, and to get Wales and Britain working.”