Unite said around 1,500 of its members based in Port Talbot and Llanwern in South Wales will take action from June 18
Tata steelworkers are set to ban overtime in protest against looming job cuts.
Unite has announced that from June 18, approximately 1,500 members at Port Talbot and Llanwern in South Wales will commence industrial action. The unions are resisting Tata’s proposal to shut down blast furnaces in favour of greener production methods, which would require fewer staff.
Unite has issued a warning that strikes could follow unless the company rethinks its strategy. Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, slammed the firm, saying: “Tata has miscalculated.”
She added: “Its workers know a better future is possible and they will be taking industrial action to fight for it, with Unite using every tool at its disposal to make the company change course. This hugely wealthy company knows UK steel capacity and jobs can be retained as the transition is made to green steel.”
She accused Tata of striking a “disastrous deal” with the Government, which she believes will benefit Tata’s operations abroad rather than those in South Wales. While other unions are also campaigning to protect jobs at Port Talbot, they have not yet called for industrial action.
Tata insists that a transformation in steel production is unavoidable and claims to have offered generous redundancy packages to those affected by the changes.
