The handling of workers by Tata Steel has been labelled “shambolic” by employees at the UK’s largest steelworks. Approximately 25 union members protested near the Port Talbot plant in south Wales, following the revelation that up to 3,000 jobs could be at risk. Tata reportedly informed unions of its plans to end blast furnace production at the Port Talbot plant, which employs 4,000 people, by March 2024. However, an announcement was cancelled following a board meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The UK government had promised £500m to keep the Port Talbot site open, which was established in 1951 and once employed almost 20,000 people. Tata employs 8,000 people across the nation. A spokesperson for Tata Steel stated that the company has “made every effort” to maintain transparency with employees. The firm has also indicated that it intends to begin formal consultation with employees “soon”.
Ian Williams of the Unite union stated that the way Tata handled the situation was “shambolic”. Concerns have arisen among workers not only for the 3,000 jobs at risk but also for the wider impact on the town surrounding the steelworks. Tata Steel would have reportedly closed the Port Talbot plant and withdrawn from the UK had the government not provided £500m towards the company’s £1.25bn decarbonisation plan.
Welsh secretary David TC Davies confirmed that UK ministers agreed to provide £500m for a new furnace and to secure 5,000 out of 8,000 jobs, with 4,000 based at the Port Talbot plant, which is one of the UK’s biggest polluters. The site is expected to adopt greener arc furnaces within three years of obtaining regulatory and planning approval. Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon, stated that workers and their families had “once again suffered huge anxiety as their futures and livelihoods were thrown into a black hole
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