IT IS "vital" that employers communicate clearly at times of crisis with their workforce and the elected representatives of the areas where they are located, the Welsh Government's economy minister said.

Ken Skates was commenting after being told that Torfaen MP Nick Thomas-Symonds and MS Lynne Neagle had been unable to arrange any further meetings with the bosses of an airline seat manufacturer in Cwmbran, where almost 200 jobs remain under threat.

Mr Thomas-Symonds and Ms Neagle met Safran Seats bosses last month, after the company announced 187 redundancies at its site in the town.

But Ms Neagle said they had been unable to arrange any further meetings with the French-owned firm.

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A spokeswoman for the company said: "We have met with various Member of Parliament and Member of the Senedd to give them update on the situation and the rationale behind this regrettable step.

"Safran is extremely grateful to the UK Government for introducing a furlough scheme, which we have used to protect jobs in the short-term.

"The scheme in its current form is due to finish at the end of July.

"We are aware that whilst the scheme may be extended it is increasingly clear that it will take years for the aerospace industry to recover from the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

"We have therefore had to take steps now to protect the longer-term existence of Safran Seats GB, with its’ head office in Cwmbran, South Wales."

The firm employs around 1,200 employees at its sites in Camberley - in Surrey - and in Cwmbran, and a spokeswoman said the firm expects 30 per cent of the current staff to be made redundant.

Previously, the company said that even if the government’s job retention scheme were to be extended - which it since has been - it would not affect its decision.

In the Welsh Parliament, Ms Neagle said it is ‘crucial’ the management of companies proposing redundancies, such as Safran Seats, engage with elected representatives and trade unions.

Addressing Mr Skates, she said: “I wonder whether you would agree with me that when communities are faced with substantial job losses it is crucial that the leadership of companies engage both with elected representatives and with the trade unions they are members of, in this case Unite the Union.

“Can I also ask, when we're looking at funding for companies going forward, when resources are so precious, what you will do to make sure that a good approach to social partnership and trade union working is incorporated into the requirements for those companies?”

In reply, Mr Skates urged the company to meet with elected representatives without delay.

He said: “It's absolutely vital that in a time of crisis employers communicate clearly with their workforce and with elected Members and with the communities that they're based in to avoid unnecessary anxiety and indeed panic, because that's what I'm picking up in Cwmbran at the moment regarding future employment prospects.

“It's absolutely vital that engagement does take place in a meaningful and transparent way, and that involves as well the trade unions."