Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Fury at Tata Steel 2,800 job losses
STEELWORKERS were “angry and frustrated” after Tata confirmed plans to close blast furnaces at its biggest UK plant, with the loss of up to 2,800 jobs, sparking warnings of industrial action.
Opposition parties criticised the Government for not doing enough to save the British steel industry, while environmental campaigners said a lack of a forward-thinking industrial strategy had left workers “high and dry”.
About 2,500 jobs could be lost in the next 18 months at the Port Talbot plant in South Wales, as Tata presses ahead with making steel more environmentally friendly, which needs a smaller workforce.
A further 300 roles could be affected in the next few years, which could include the potential consolidation and rationalisation of cold rolling assets in Llanwern, once the required investments are completed at Port Talbot.
Unions put forward alternative plans which would not have led to such drastic job cuts, but they were rejected, although some parts were accepted.
Tata said continued blast furnace production was “not feasible or affordable”.
Union officials raised the threat of industrial action after the company rejected their proposals for avoiding such heavy job losses.
Tata said in a statement: “Tata Steel will commence statutory consultation as part of its plan to transform and restructure its UK business.
“This plan is intended to reverse more than a decade of losses and transition from the legacy blast furnaces to a more sustainable, green steel business.
“The transformation would secure most of Tata Steel UK’s existing product capability and maintain the country’s self-sufficiency in steelmaking, while also reducing Tata Steel UK’s CO2 emissions by five million tonnes per year and overall UK country emissions by about 1.5%.”
Tata said its proposed investment is supported by the UK Government, which has committed up to £500 million to enable the transformation. The company plans to invest £750 million in the project, alongside funding for a “comprehensive support package” for affected employees, business restructuring and transition costs, as part of its long-term commitment to UK production.
A statement by the GMB and Community unions said thousands of jobs and the future of British steelmaking were at stake, adding: “It is an absolute disgrace that Tata Steel, and the UK Government, appear intent on pursuing the cheapest instead of the best plan for our industry, our steelworkers and our country.
“It’s unbelievable any government would give a company £500 million to throw workers on the scrapheap, and our government must re-evaluate its miserly offer to support investment at Tata Steel. Community and GMB do not accept Tata Steel’s rejection of the multi-union plan.
“We will now consult our members on next steps and all options to protect jobs are on the table, including industrial action.”