Image source, Getty Images
- Author, Mark Palmer
- Role, BBC news
Union Unite has urged Tata Steel to hold further talks before moving forward with plans that could see operations at Port Talbot ceased by the end of next week.
Tata had originally planned to close the last blast furnaces at the site by September, but has indicated it may halt operations earlier for safety reasons due to a planned strike on July 8.
Unite has called on Tata to wait until after Thursday’s general election result before making an “irreversible decision”, and then hold talks with the next British government.
In response, Tata said safety “will take precedence over everything else”, and urged Unite to withdraw its industrial action.
About 2,800 Tata steelworkers in the UK will lose their jobs when the company closes both blast furnaces at Port Talbot.
The unions hope that if Labor wins the July 4 general election, the party can convince Tata to change course and thus cut down on job losses.
Tata has said it will not change its plans regardless of who wins the election, and that it will have no choice but to close early if next week’s strike goes ahead.
In the meantime, the company has filed a request with the Supreme Court to prevent the strike. According to the company, the vote at Unite was not conducted correctly.
Unite rejects this claim.
The other unions representing steelworkers at the site – Community and GMB – say they want to wait until after the general election before deciding whether to strike.
Unite said in a statement on Saturday that it has “repeatedly requested that the company commit not to make any final decisions on the future of the blast furnaces until after the election, when meaningful negotiations can take place”.
“Rather than wait for a likely change of government, Tata has decided to double down,” the company said, calling on it “not to make irreversible decisions and to engage in meaningful negotiations.”
In response, Tata said it could not be confident it would be able to “operate our assets safely and stably throughout the period of strike action”, adding that it “will have no choice but to suspend or cease major operations” at Port Talbot.
“That is not a decision we make lightly, and we recognize that it would be extremely costly and disruptive across the supply chain, but the safety of people at or around our sites will always take priority over everything else,” the report said.
Port Talbot residents have also spoken about the widespread impact closures would have across the town, not just those who will lose their jobs.
Speaking at the Bulldog boxing and community activities centre, Ian Jones said the closure of the ovens was “shocking”.
“The people of Port Talbot are going to lose so much, not just from the steelworks but from the people who supply the steelworks. That’s not good at all,” he said.
Mandie Pugh, who runs a breakfast van near the steelworks, said the closure would be a “major blow” to her business.
“I hope I survive because there are other businesses around here that come for food. But it depends on whether they can survive the consequences because they may not be able to continue their business anymore,” she said.
Tata plans to build a £1.25 billion electric arc furnace to produce steel in a way that is less polluting than traditional blast furnaces but requires fewer workers.
It said the move would secure the future of steel production at the site, and the UK government is contributing £500 million towards the cost of the project.
According to the plans for the site, both ovens will be closed. Number five will depart as planned at the end of next week, while four will depart at the end of September.
If the strike continues, preparatory work for the closure of five buildings will begin on July 1.