Tata Steel said on June 28 that they have been forced to commence legal proceedings against UK’s union strike action.
The decision has been taken after around 1,500 workers working in UK’s Tata Steel begin a strike from July 8 to protest over company’s plan to close two blast furnaces. That has supposedly hit 2,800 jobs.
According to the union, the strike has been the first time by British steel workers in 40 years. And it is supposed to take place at Tata’s Post Talbot and Llanwern sites in Wales.
“In the coming days, if we cannot be certain that we are able to continue to safely and stably operate our assets through the period of strike action, we will not have any choice but to pause or stop heavy end operations (including both blast furnaces) on the Port Talbot site.,” a Tata Steel spokesperson said.
Tata industry has again called the union to call off its strike and join the other unions – Community and GMB. This offer has been presented by the company under it’s memorandum of understanding, which puts forward a wide-ranging offer of “generous employee support packages, training, and skills development”.
The company spokesperson along with this offer added, “We understand the impact of our restructuring will have on many employees and contractors, but we remain committed to a just transition and — pending a government-backed grant funding agreement — to the 1.25 billion pounds investment in low-CO2 steelmaking, which will ensure Tata Steel has a long and sustainable future in the UK,”
Asserting that it has obtained “serious investment” from the Opposition Labour Party, which is leading the pre-election surveys, Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham stated that the organization is “fighting for the future of the steel industry” and requested a postponement of proceedings until after the general election on July 4.
“Tata putting out a statement to shut or pause its blast furnaces three months earlier than they intended to is the latest in a long line of threats that won’t deter us. The Unite campaign is not about selling jobs, it’s about securing the long-term future of steel making in this country for thousands of workers in Port Talbot and South Wales,” she said.
The shutdown decision was first reported in January as part of the Indian company’s ambition, supported by 500 million pounds ($632 million) in government funding, to convert its UK operation, which is losing money, to lower carbon electric arc furnaces.
