The move was welcomed by Community unions, although Unite described Tata’s imminent closure as “the latest in a long line of threats that will not deter us”.
A planned strike at a Port Talbot steelworks has been put on hold after the Unite union said new investment had been proposed.
Unite is on hold its industrial actionFollowing reports on Thursday, the owner of Indian conglomerate Tata said in response to close the site earlier than it was first announced.
Talks over the weekend produced a “significant development” in the form of an agreement by Tata on future investment and not just layoffs, the union said.
The closure date is now July 7, a day ahead of a previously planned strike and roughly two months ahead of the originally announced September closing date for the final steel-making blast furnace.
Up to 2,800 jobs are to be lost – 2,500 in the next year and a further 300 within three years – despite £500m of taxpayers’ cash support the plant’s transition to cheaper, greener steel production to reduce emissions.
The first steel blast furnace was due to close at the end of June as part of a push to cut carbon emissions, the UK’s biggest source of CO2.
Previous fossil fuel blast furnaces are is replaced using a single electric arc furnace.
Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant is Britain’s largest producer of carbon dioxide.
Union response
Unite members went on strike to protest job losses and the impact on the local community.
The decision to close early by Tata was described by Unite general secretary Sharon Graham last week as “the latest in a long line of threats that will not deter us”.
“The strikes will last until Dad is halting its disastrous plans,” she said on Thursday. The overtime ban had been in effect since June 17. But both actions are now suspended for further negotiations.
Another union representing Port Talbot steelworkers welcomed the suspension of the Unite strike and the fact that it was getting “back to the table with their sister steel unions”.
Alun Davies, national officer for the Community (steelworkers’ union), said Tata would resume negotiations if the strike was called off.
“The truth is that Tata has never walked away from these discussions and at our last meeting on 22 May all unions agreed to close negotiations and deliver the outcome to our members. The community would welcome the resumption of these discussions but we regret that no progress has been made.” made since May 22”.
Sky News understands the final closure will now be in September after a pause in industrial action.
A Tata Steel spokesperson said in a statement: “We have received written confirmation from the Unite Union that they are suspending their current post-strike action with immediate effect, as well as potential strike action due to start on Monday 8 July.
“As a result, and given that we can now be confident that we will secure the appropriate resourcing of activities for safe operation, we are halting preparations for the early closure of Blast Furnace 4 and the wider heavy end at Port Talbot, planned for this week – we welcome the fact , that we have avoided the need to proceed this way.
“Resuming discussions with the UK Steel committee will build on the position reached at the last meeting on 22 May and focus on future investment and aspirations for the business, rather than a renegotiation of our existing HGV plan. closure or strengthened conditions of employment support.
“The blast furnace 5 decommissioning process has now begun to be planned and we expect to produce the final iron at the end of this week.”