- Author, Oliver Slow
- Role, BBC news
About 1,500 Tata Steel workers will go on indefinite strike next month over the company’s plans to cut thousands of jobs, the Unite union said.
The move is the first time in more than 40 years that UK steelworkers have taken strike action, the union added.
About 2,800 Tata Steel workers will lose their jobs when the company closes both Port Talbot blast furnaces by the end of September.
The company said it would be “forced” to accelerate plans to close if the strike affected the safety or stability of its operations.
The strike will begin on July 8 at Port Talbot and Tata’s Llanwern in Newport.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, said Tata workers “are not just fighting for their jobs, they are fighting for the future of their communities and the future of steel in Wales”.
She said the strikes would continue until the firm “stops its disastrous plans”.
Two other unions, Community and the GMB, have decided “not to plan any industrial action until after the general election”, said Alun Davies, Community’s national steel director.
“If and when we take industrial action, that decision will be made by members of the Community, who represent the vast majority of workers affected by Tata’s harmful plans,” he said.
Unite members at Tata previously observed a ban on overtime and “work by rule” – meaning they refused to do work that was not required in their contracts.
Tata called on Unite to suspend the action and return to discussions with other unions.
Chief executive Rajesh Nair said the “best financial package” it had ever offered would not be paid if employees took part in industrial action.
The company plans to build a £1.25 billion electric arc furnace to make steel in a way that is less polluting than traditional blast furnaces but requires fewer workers.
Tata said the move would secure the future of steelmaking at the site, with the UK government contributing £500m towards the cost of the project.
The company said it was “disappointed” by the strike action.
It said it was losing £1m a day, that its steel plant was “operationally unstable” and therefore its plan had not changed.
“If the safety and stability of our operations are threatened by this action, we will be forced to accelerate these closure plans,” the spokesperson said.
“Following extensive discussions with our unions, we have substantially improved our support offer for disabled staff – the most generous package in our history.”
Gambling by Unite
The strike is as serious as it gets for the workers and the company.
Unite has behaved differently from the other two unions in Port Talbot, which remain in negotiations with Tata Steel.
Going it alone is a gamble for Unite.
Tata has already said its best redundancy offer to workers is off the table because of the union strike and could still end up in court. Tata Steel says “irregularities” in the Unite vote mean any industrial action is illegal, although it has not asked a judge to rule on the matter.
While workers held rallies this week to mark the start of working hours and a ban on overtime, it may be harder for 1,500 Unite members to walk out on strike in Port Talbot and Llanwern.
They would do so while most of their colleagues in other unions were still talking to the company about their redundancies, and Unite’s stance has caused considerable tension among the multi-union team negotiating with Tata.
It’s also a political gamble for Unite, with the specter of steel strikes starting days after the general election and an immediate headache for anyone who steps into 10 Downing Street.