Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales leader in the European Parliament, Jill Evans MEP, will tomorrow (2pm GMT Wednesday, 25th April) attend a special hearing on works councils in the European Parliament in an effort to ensure better consultation with workers in Wales following the Corus debacle earlier this year.

Ms Evans has also succeeded in ensuring that a representative from the steel unions in Wales will be present to talk at first hand of the experiences of Corus workers who were faced with thousands of redundancies without any prior consultation.

Speaking from Brussels Ms Evans, Wales´ only representative on the European Parliament’s Employment Committee said:

"This will be an opportunity for the European Parliament to hear of how Corus kept their workers in the dark over the threat to thousands of jobs in Wales. Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales has been calling for an urgent revision of the European works council’s directive, with particular attention being given to the need for sanctions for non-compliance with the directive."

"The Corus situation would simply not have been tolerated in many other European countries, and it would not be allowed here if the UK government and others stopped blocking the European Directive on the Consultation of Workers in the Council of Ministers."

"I have been calling for this Directive to be adopted for the past eighteen months. This would mean that multinational companies would then have to inform and consult with employees about their future employment plans. But despite the fact that this directive would address at least some of the issues facing workers at Corus and countless other employees facing uncertain futures in the manufacturing industry in Wales the Labour government remains opposed to it."

Jill Evans MEP will be available for interviews before and after the meeting tomorrow afternoon.

Diwedd/Ends.