At the end of last week Tata decided to close two of the firm’s blast furnaces to press ahead with a shift to low carbon production at its site in Port Talbot.
The move is estimated to see up to 4,000 jobs lost and a greater scale of knock-on effects within the community which supply the plant with goods and services.
Mr Drakeford speaking in First Minister’s questions said:
“On Thursday of last week, when it became clear that the company were going to make their announcement on the Friday, I wrote immediately to the Prime Minister asking for a telephone call with him so that we could jointly discuss how we could best respond to the emerging picture.
“By half past eight in the morning on the Friday I’d had a reply from the Prime Minister saying that he couldn’t find time to meet or talk to me that day. I do think that is genuinely shocking.”
Welsh Conservative Senedd Members shouted out across the chamber at Mr Drakeford who responded:
“I do hope you’re not defending that. Nobody outside this room will hear members of the Conservative Party shouting at me, but let me make sure that people do know that they’re shouting at me to defend the fact that their Prime Minister was unprepared to talk to the First Minister of Wales on that day.”
The First Minister said he was genuinely baffled about why the Prime Minister did not feel it was a priority to speak with him about Tata Steel.
Leader of Plaid Cymru Rhun ap Iorwerth said the attitude of the UK Government towards the steel industry in Wales was “shameful and disturbing”.
Describing the Tata Steel job losses the First Minister said:
“It is devastating news for the whole of the United Kingdom.
“We believe that there is a credible alternative that would sustain jobs at Port Talbot and would sustain indigenous steel making in the United Kingdom.
“I say to the company what I know others have said: I hope they will not make any irreversible decisions, because with a general election happening this year, there is an alternative future for the steel industry for the United Kingdom, and I want Port Talbot to be part of that.”
Tata is pledging a £130 million support package to help workers retrain or find new jobs but unions have warned the decision will be devastating for the south Wales economy as well as the steel industry.
Dozens of steel workers made the journey from South Wales to Westminster on Tuesday to urge the UK Government to protect the future of the industry.
The sooner Drakeford goes the better he and Labour have ruined Wales