Following on from a recent announcement by Tata Steel outlining plans to transform its business, the company has now announced that it will be shedding 1,000 jobs in the UK and mainly white collar management and office-based roles.
It is expected that 1,600 jobs will go in the Netherlands and 350 from elsewhere in the world.
The company's CEO Henrik Adam talked about 'the world around us changing fast' and the need to adapt, but Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the Community union that represents steelworkers, argued that Tata's proposals have 'no credibility' and are poorly timed. He used adjectives like 'atrocious' and 'scandalous' – he even questioned the need for such an announcement at this stage in the process.
According to a report on the BBC website today, Rickhuss told BBC Wales that the plans had no credibility. "We want to know about investment, what the future holds and all they've done is come up with this awful proposal just to cut jobs," he was reported as saying.
The Community union claims that the job cuts were because Tata Steel management didn't have a 'plan b' following the collapse of a proposed joint venture deal with German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp.
All Economy Minister Ken Skates could say was that it was a worrying time for Tata Steel employees and their families in Wales, adding that Tata Steel intends to avoid compulsory redundancies.