Former Anglesey Aluminium workers targeted by overseas smelting plant

FORMER workers at Anglesey Aluminium are being targeted to help staff a new smelting plant in Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates plant, which is set to begin production in April 2010, are looking to bring in experienced workers from around the globe to man what looks set to become one of the largest aluminium plants in the world. More than 300 people lost their jobs when the Anglesey Aluminium plant near Holyhead closed last month. Former workers face now face relocating 4,000 miles away to the Middle East in their search for employment. Despite plans being submitted last week for a new power station to be built on Anglesey, which if approved would create around 100 new permanent jobs, many of the former workers have struggled to find new employment after the plant’s closure, and could be forced to consider the move abroad. A spokesman for Unite the Union, which has been supportive of the axed workers, expressed their dissapointment at the situation. “Anglesey and Gwynedd have suffered greatly. “They are an excellent workforce, highly skilled, highly motivated and highly flexible - it’s very sad that they’re having to look as far afield as the United Arab Emirates. “Anglesey’s loss would be their gain.” The ?3.4 billion plant, backed by the Rio Tinto group which also has a majority holding in Anglesey Aluminium, is set to become the worlds largest single-site aluminium complex, producing around 1.4 million tonnes of aluminium a year.