Steelworkers vote for historic strike in protest over planned Tata job cuts

STEELWORKERS have voted to strike in protest at planned job losses at Tata.

Unite said around 1,500 of its members based in Port Talbot and Llanwern in South Wales backed industrial action “decisively”.

The union is fighting Tata’s plans to shut down blast furnaces and replace them with more environmentally friendly electric arc furnaces.

Unite said it will be the first time in more than 40 years that Port Talbot steelworkers go on strike.

Unite said Tata has other choices after the union secured a commitment from Labour that it will invest £3 billion in UK steel, compared with the £500 million pledged by the current Government.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is an historic vote. Not since the 1980s have steel workers voted to strike in this way.

“This yes vote has happened despite Tata’s threats that if workers took strike action, enhanced redundancy packages would be withdrawn.

“Unite will be at the forefront of the fight to save steelmaking in Wales. We will support steel by all and every means.

“Other EU countries are transitioning their steel industries while retaining and growing their capacity because they know steel has a bright future – a 10-fold increase in demand is predicted in the coming years.”

The union’s Wales regional secretary Peter Hughes said: “Tata has employed everything from bribes to threats to discourage our members from industrial action.

“Our members have their union’s absolute support in striking to stop these cuts – Unite is backing them every step of the way.”