Steelworkers' union announces details of ballot for industrial action at Tata

The Tata Steel UK plant at Port Talbot

The steelworkers’ union Community has announced plans to ballot for industrial action in reaction to job cuts planned at Tata.

Details were confirmed at a gathering in Port Talbot, South Wales where Tata is planning job cuts due as a result of closing its blast furnaces, replacing them with an eco-friendlier electric one. Community said it will be serving notice to the company this week that the ballot will start in two weeks’ time.

Alun Davies, the union’s national officer, said: “We’ve been clear from the beginning that all cards were on the table to protect our members’ jobs and save our steel industry.”

“It has become evident over the recent days that Tata are not serious about engaging with our multi-union plan for steel, which they themselves have admitted is viable and could be the road towards a profitable future for their UK steel sites. Therefore, we’ve been given little choice other than to put this issue to our members and ask them if they want to take the next step towards industrial action.”

Mr Davies continued: “Now let me be crystal clear on this. Community and our members haven’t chosen this fight. We’ve put forward a credible and workable alternative to Tata, but it’s through their lack of action, and their unwillingness to steer away from their damaging plan that we’ve come to this point. We will fight for our members, their jobs, and their communities.”

Unite is currently balloting its members at Tata for industrial action. A spokesperson from Tata Steel said: “While the £1.25 billion commitment with the UK Government will ensure a long-term viable future for low CO2 steelmaking in the UK, our current business is unsustainable.”

“Much of our existing iron and steelmaking operation in Port Talbot is at the end of its life, is unreliable and inefficient, and contributing to losses of £1.7 million a day in the last quarter alone. Our restructuring proposals would mean that we are able to sustain the business as we transition to new electric arc furnace technology.”

“We believe we have a very exciting future ahead, providing the high quality, low-CO2 steels that our customers in the UK and overseas are so desperate for. Furthermore, producing steel from scrap that already exists in significant quantities in the UK rather than importing iron ore and coal from across the world, will be the foundation for more resilient UK manufacturing supply chains.”

“Following the announcement of the company’s restructuring proposals on January 19, we started a formal information sharing and consultation process with our trade union colleagues. Those in-depth discussions and operational site visits have continued in an open, collaborative and constructive fashion, and cover the support to be provided to affected employees.”

“We are disappointed, therefore, that while the consultation process is ongoing, Community Union is progressing a ballot of their members in Port Talbot asking for authority to implement industrial action.”