With the imposing structures of Port Talbot Steelworks in the background, facilities both old and new dot the skyline surrounding the assembling Plaid Cymru rally. The location chosen is the Morfa Mine Memorial, only a few blocks away from the main Tata Steel UK headquarters. The memorial is in honour of the many Welsh men and boys who died in the pits that once sunk far beneath the statue. The same dangerous work goes on all around the memorial, adding both a sombre and indignant feeling to the choice of venue for this rally. Leaders and members of the Community Trade Union, by far the largest representative body for British and Welsh Steelworkers, have been invited and make up most of the attendants. A few local security personnel from Tata Steel keep an eye on the proceedings from a distance, as the Plaid candidate and speaker for this event takes the small stage, /u/NicolasBroaddus.

“Welcome everyone, its good to get the chance to come here in person myself after so much debate over the years around this place and the people who work here. I think Port Talbot has been on the lips of those debating industrial policy for near on two centuries now. The ghosts of workers over those two centuries also linger here, something this memorial is meant to honour. Yet, it is really just another uncaring industrial mass grave, is it not?

When the pit exploded, they sent men back in as soon as they could. When it exploded again, they did the same. At no point did they try to vent the dangerous gases or otherwise improve the safety of the pit, so that even before that last disaster that would close it, workers called it The Pit of Ghosts. What stopped them sacrificing more lives on this altar wasn’t the welfare of the workers, it was the pit itself flooding after the worst explosion yet, and becoming no longer profitable. So thirty men were blown to pieces, and the company decided to simply flood the pit and fill it in, and dig a new pit.

The worst thing about this? This is more work than most companies put in to repair the scars of deadly or damaging mining or industrial work. Some just let their ageing hulks of buildings and refineries rust away to nothing, abandoned. But we can do better, and we all know that, we’ve seen that over the past three years. With the British Government buying a large share of Tata Steel UK, and large investments made by the previous Solidarity government in green steel production, the future of the jobs here looks bright.

That still doesn’t mean we can’t do even better, and given the quality of the air we are all sharing here, I know you all know what I mean. Wales needs these companies to take full accounting of the consequences of their factories and mines. A future of green steel and clean air for Port Talbot isn’t a fantasy or pipe dream, it is entirely within our reach. We need to keep using our democratic power to keep shifting the economy towards one that works for us all. Plaid Cymru wants to see a majority stake, split between the Welsh and Westminster Government, acquired in Tata Steel UK. We have seen the international practices of Tata Steel, from genocide to worker exploitation. We’ve also seen their domestic actions, packing up and leaving the moment they can find cheaper opportunities elsewhere to cut more corners.

Our Steelworkers deserve better than that, they deserve job security, peace of mind, and a growing stake in the labour they provide their jobs. Community has done a fantastic job fighting for that over the decades, even against overwhelming forces and odds. Plaid wants to work with you all to build that future, to empower the workers of Wales to have a real economic stake in the work they do. Negotiations regarding restoration of the Companies act have taken place with the Westminster Government, and should it come back into force, we will stand ready to ensure that its implementation of economic democracy is fully extended to Wales. You all deserve that, and Plaid Cymru will fight for it.”