Tata Steel’s workers in the UK are set to embark on an “indefinite strike” starting July 8, protesting the company’s plans to cut jobs. This action marks the first steelworker strike in the UK in 40 years.
Around 1,500 workers at the Port Talbot and Llanwern steel plants will initiate an all-out indefinite strike, opposing the company’s plan to eliminate 2,800 jobs and shut down its blast furnaces, the British trade union Unite announced on Friday.
“Tata’s workers are not just fighting for their jobs,” said Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary. “They are fighting for the future of their communities and the future of steel in Wales.”
Tata Steel, one of Britain’s largest steelmakers, announced in April its intention to implement a £1.25 billion (₹13,217 crore) plan to construct an electric arc furnace at Port Talbot and begin closing the existing blast furnaces, according to a Bloomberg report.
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These closures and job cuts were initially revealed in January as part of the company’s strategy to turn around its loss-making UK operations by transitioning to lower-carbon electric arc furnaces, a plan supported by £500 million (₹5,286.81 crore) from the British government, Reuters reported.
Since announcing the plan, Tata Steel stated it has engaged in seven months of formal and informal discussions with UK trade unions. The company also anticipated creating more indirect jobs in engineering and construction and reducing CO2 emissions by 5 million tonnes annually, according to PTI.
In response to the strike, Tata Steel expressed its disappointment. “Our existing steelmaking assets are near the end of their life, are operationally unstable, and causing unsustainable losses of £1 million a day,” the company stated. “This is why preparations to close the blast furnaces and associated plants in Port Talbot are unchanged.”
The strike is set to commence just four days after the UK’s general elections. The Labour Party, which is largely expected to win the election on July 4, has urged Tata to halt its plans and wait until after the vote to engage in talks with the government, the BBC reported earlier, citing Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
“Labour has pledged £3 billion for UK steel if elected next month, a commitment secured by Unite,” the union stated. “Labour has also made emergency talks with Tata a priority if it wins the election.”
“The strikes will go on until Tata halts its disastrous plans,” Graham declared.