Tata Steel: Up to 3,000 Port Talbot jobs saved – for now
Up to 3,000 steelworkers at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant have been granted a temporary reprieve after an expected announcement on job cuts has apparently been pulled.
The board of the Indian conglomerate owners had met to discuss their second quarter set of results today and an announcement on job cuts had been anticipated.
But City PM understands no such decision on the South Wales workforce will be released today.
Unions had been preparing for bad news, and had urged Tata not to close the blast furnaces as part of the transition to producing greener steel, which they said could risk up to 3,000 jobs.
Government has agreed to grant £500m in state aid – alongside millions from Tata – to help the site switch from the coal-fired blast furnaces to electric arc furnace (EAF) which run on zero-carbon electricity.
EAF-only, the unions said, requires importing virgin steel to replace scrap steel used in blast furnaces – exporting carbon emissions and making the UK industry no longer self-sufficient.
Representatives from Community, GMB and Unite unions vowed to oppose any mooted closures and this morning had called on Tata executives to “pull back from the brink”.
Roy Rickhuss, Community general secretary, said: “The proposal to close our heavy end is completely unacceptable and we continue to believe the blast furnaces are crucial to the transition to green steelmaking.”
Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, from GMB union, warned the proposals risked “firing the starting gun on the death of UK steel” and would put the UK “on a collision course with massive industrial unrest”.
Unite’s regional coordinating officer Tony Brady said: “There is a just transition for steel available… if Tata want to prevent a major industrial dispute they need to work with unions.”
The unions also said industry experts Syndex were compiling a report on alternative approaches towards decarbonisation at Port Talbot, and urged Tata to consider it.
A Tata Steel spokesperson said: “Despite today’s press commentary, we are not in a position to make a formal announcement about any proposals for a transition to a decarbonised future for Tata Steel UK.
“We hope to soon start a formal information and consultation process with our employee representatives, in which we would share more details about any such proposals.
“We believe our £1.25bn proposal to transition to green steel making will secure the business for the longer term, bolster UK steel security and help develop a green ecosystem in the region.
“We are committed to a meaningful information and consultation process with our trade union partners and will carefully consider any proposals put forward.”