How the Tata Steel story
Tata Steel shook Wales in January when it announced that it would make 750 steel workers redundant at Port Talbot - and then dropped an even bigger bombshell last month when it said it wanted to offload its entire UK portfolio of assets. Since then develo
JANUARY 18
The steel industry in Wales was dealt a blow as Tata announced 1,050 job cuts at plants including Port Talbot, Llanwern and Trostre. The breakdown of jobs is 750 at the Port Talbot steelworks and 300 at steel mills in Trostre, Corby and Hartlepool.
First Minister Carwyn Jones sets up a high level task force to discuss the crisis.
JANUARY 19
Economy Minister Edwina Hart revealed in a statement that she has written to the Chancellor George Osborne setting out the Welsh Government’s proposal to create an Enterprise Zone that encompasses the Port Talbot steel works site.
JANUARY 20
The Economy Minister held her first meeting with officials from Tata Steel, the unions and others as part of the task force set up following the loss of hundreds of jobs.
FEBRUARY 10
UK Government accused of betraying steelworkers by blocking higher tariffs on Chinese steel proposed by the European Commission.
FEBRUARY 15
Steel workers and industry bosses from Wales join 5,000 others from 17 European countries marching in Brussels to protest about cheap Chinese imports.
FEBRUARY 24
Karl Koehler, who has been managing director and CEO of Tata Steel Europe since 2010, steps down. He is replaced by Hans Fischer.
MARCH 20
Newspaper reports suggest that a rescue plan put together by Tata Steel UK managers which aims to bring Port Talbot back into profit in two years will be rejected by the parent company’s board in India.
MARCH 24
Tata reaches an agreement to sell its Clydebridge and Dalzell steel facilities in Scotland. The deal involves the sale of the two plants to the Scottish Government which immediately sells them on to Liberty House, owned by the Gupta family.
MARCH 27
Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price calls on the Welsh Government to consider a temporary nationalisation of the plant should Tata’s board decide to close it.
MARCH 30
Tata Steel confirms it plans to sell its UK assets including its site in Port Talbot where 4,000 people are employed after the board rejects the management’s turnaround plan.
It tells its European holding company, Tata Steel Europe, to “explore all options”, including the partial or complete sale of its UK operations.
APRIL 2
Sanjeev Gupta announces he is ready to open talks with the Government on a plan to rescue Port Talbot steel works. Over the next few days he gives several media interviews in which he outlines his plans to replace its blast furnaces with electric arc furnaces and recycle scrap steel, and says he will only take in the business if he can assure workers there will be no large scale
redundancies.
APRIL 3
German industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp is linked to a bid to acquire the Port Talbot steelworks.
APRIL 5
First Minister Carwyn Jones meets Prime Minister David Cameron , Chancellor George Osborne, Business Secretary Sajid Javid and Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns in Downing Street to discuss the future of Tata’s Welsh assets.
APRIL 6
Former steel, workers economists and academics express scepticism about Sanjeev Gupta’s plans for Port Talbot.
APRIL 8
Tata’s former chairman Ratan Tata tells the Financial Times Port Talbot could be made viable again but it would cost a lot of jobs.
APRIL 9
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond travels to China and discusses overcapacity in steel production with his Chinese counterpart. He also welcomed the potential interest of Chinese companies in investing in UK steel production.
APRIL 10
The managing director of Liberty Steel Sanjeev Gupta said he is “not married to” a bid for Tata’s UK steel business and would walk away if the UK Government fails to meet his terms.
APRIL 11
As Tata launches the formal sale process of its UK steel business,