Steelworkers meet at Port Talbot to discuss joint venture agreement

Steelworkers will meet in Port Talbot later to discuss the joint venture announcement between Tata Steel Europe and German firm Thyssenkrupp.

The deal ended years of uncertainty over the future of plants including Port Talbot and Shotton on Deeside They employ almost 5 thousand.

At the time the company said plans to invest in extending the life of Blast Furnace 5 at Port Talbot were approved and will go ahead this year.

The business case for a full relining of the blast furnace will be made in the coming years.

The decision to combine the steel businesses in a 50/50 joint venture will create the second biggest steel firm in Europe after Arcelor Mittal