Hundreds of workers in Llanelli are facing a loss of income in the run-up to Christmas after a cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) disrupted supply chains and halted production across the UK.
Agency staff laid off as overtime dries up
The impact has been felt acutely at Marelli and Gestamp, two major automotive suppliers in Llanelli with a combined workforce of 360. Agency workers have already been laid off, while permanent staff have been told to stay home and “work back” hours — effectively cancelling overtime many rely on for festive spending.
Local Labour MS Lee Waters raised the issue in the Senedd this week, warning that the cyber attack had left Welsh workers “in limbo” and calling for urgent clarity on when UK Government support will reach affected sites.
Welsh Government in daily contact with suppliers
First Minister Eluned Morgan said Welsh Government teams were in daily contact with around 30 suppliers across Wales, and that support services including React and Working Wales were on standby to assist affected workers.
“The JLR cyber attack has hit Welsh suppliers and the people who work in those companies hard,” she said. “We welcome the £1.5bn UK loan guarantee, but Welsh workers need to know when the money will land.”
She confirmed that both Marelli and Gestamp were being actively monitored, and that Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans had written to UK ministers seeking urgent updates.
Tata under pressure over lack of cyber insurance
Mr Waters criticised JLR’s parent company Tata for failing to have cyber insurance in place, despite previous high-profile attacks on UK retailers. He urged the Welsh Government to press Tata directly for support for downstream suppliers in Wales.
Llanelli Labour councillor Shaun Greaney added:
“Why is it the poor workers who always pay the price for ineptitude at a higher level? They should be compensated by JLR’s owners Tata.”
JLR introduces supplier support scheme
In response, JLR said it had launched a short-term financing scheme to help suppliers with cashflow, including faster payments and reimbursement of financing costs. A dedicated help desk and manual payment system have also been introduced, with automated systems now being restored.
The company said the scheme would initially support critical suppliers needed to restart production, before expanding to include non-production partners.
