Up to 3000 workers have been left unsure of their future at the UK’s largest steelworks in Port Talbot, following a postponement on job cuts being announced.
The Welsh steelworks, which is owned by Tata Steel, had been ‘braced for confirmation of the closures of the two blast furnaces after a meeting of the Tata Steel board on 1 November’, as stated in a report by The Guardian, but following a last minute change of plans, the company cancelled the press conference and said it would not be releasing a statement on its plans.
According to the report in The Guardian, union representatives discussed the job cuts with Tata earlier this week, but no final decisions have been made by the company. Union sources said the cuts could come as soon as March, but Tata has not confirmed this.
Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, national officer at GMB trade union, said workers expected ‘a full and meaningful consultation before any detailed plans are announced’, adding that unions would ‘offer a viable and reasonable alternative’ that safeguarded jobs and created a 'genuinely ‘just’ transition’.
“Despite [the] press commentary, we are not in a position to make a formal announcement about any proposals for a transition to a decarbonized future for Tata Steel UK.''
Spokesperson for Tata Steel
A Tata Steel spokesperson said: “Despite [the] press commentary, we are not in a position to make a formal announcement about any proposals for a transition to a decarbonized future for Tata Steel UK. We hope to soon start a formal information and consultation process with our employee representatives, in which we would share more details about any such proposals.”
Source: The Guardian
