Tata Steel: Unions meet with bosses seeking to avoid job cuts with further talks planned

  • Charlottte Brumpton-Childs from the GMB Union discusses how talks between Tata and union representatives are taking place concerning the changes at the steelworks in Port Talbot

Unions have met with Tata Steel bosses in London on Wednesday (20 September) to seek more clarity on the future of the plant in Port Talbot.

A deal was struck between the company and the UK Government last week which will see the output of the site move to a greener steel-making process. But there are fears the changes at the plant could put thousands of jobs in Port Talbot at risk.

On Friday (15 September), it was confirmed the deal is intended to secure the survival of the plant which employs half of Tata Steel’s 8,000-strong UK workforce as the company moves to less carbon-intensive steel-making.

Despite the subsidy, alongside a £700m investment from the Indian company into the operations, it is believed 3,000 jobs will go at the site.

Why is Tata Steel so important to the town of Port Talbot

On Wednesday morning the UK Steel Committee held talks, which is made up of the three unions- GMB, Community and Unite and various people from Tata Steel in India along with the UK business.

The UK Government announced last week that it will provide £500m to Tata Steel to try and secure steel-making in the UK for the future.

Union leaders want 'more detail on the timeline for the plans', to clarify "how final the proposal is or if there's room for consultation."

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, National Steel Officer at GMB said: "We made the point to the business that we expect full and frank consultation with our membership.

"This starts with being really transparent with our industry experts to analyse the plan that they have put forward so we can see if there are viable alternatives that will avoid the job losses that are currently being threatened in the industry."

Speaking about the timeline Ms Brumpton added: "I don’t think it would be proper at this stage to have a date on that because we need to consult meaningfully over the process.

"This is not a done deal and we need to have meaningful discussions about what the real impacts and the timelines are for our members.

"Understandably people are worried, with nervousness around the speed at which this could happen.

"These are good well paid unionised jobs. This wouldn’t be a just or fair transition to decarbonising the steel industry if we are doing it off the back of 3,000 steelworkers losing their jobs."

A Tata Steel spokesperson said: "We believe our £1.25 billion proposal for green steel making in Port Talbot will secure jobs, bolster UK steel security and help develop a green ecosystem in the region.

“We are committed to meaningful consultation with our trade union partners about these proposals and will listen carefully to their concerns.”

Unions strongly criticised the plans which they claim are "short sighted and lack ambition."

The UK Government said its grant was "one of the largest government support packages in history – in a new Electric Arc Furnace for greener steel production at Port Talbot, which is currently the UK’s largest single carbon emitter."

The £1.25 billion furnaces are expected to be up and running within three years of getting regulatory and planning approvals.

The company warn there will be a "transition period including potential deep restructuring" at the plant.

The plans hadn't even been formally announced when criticism of the how the deal had been struck was already rife.

Stephen Kinnock, Labour MP for Aberavon, accused the UK Government failing "to adequately consult steel unions Community and GMB."

Workers protest outside the Port Talbot steelworks when the risk to jobs were announced in September Credit: PA

The Welsh Government have also accused UK ministers of not keeping Cardiff Bay politicians and the workforce informed.

The Unite Union branded the plans as a "disgrace" and said it has launched a "serious campaign" to protect the proposed job losses "tooth and nail".

A UK Government spokesperson said that it “is backing our steel sector, and this proposal will secure a sustainable future for Welsh steel, save thousands of jobs in the long term and ensure that the industry has a bright future to match its long and proud history in South Wales.

“We are investing in our steel industry as it makes the necessary transition to greener methods of production and we are also putting support in place for the local workers affected by the changes.”

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