Tata Steel strike looms as union pledges support for action | Business News

The prospect of a strike at Tata Steel’s UK operations has gained further traction after a key union pledged support for industrial action.

Community, which has more than 3,000 members, said 85% voted in favor of fighting the Indian-owned company’s plans to up to 2,800 job lossesmost of them at the country’s largest steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales.

Tata confirmed last month was to move forward with closing of blast furnaces at the plant, replacing them with electric arc furnaces to reduce emissions and costs.

In doing so, the company rejected an alternative plan put forward by Community, GMB and Unite unions which they said would boost productivity and protect jobs across the supply chain.

They argued that Tata’s proposals would rid the UK economy of its last remaining “virgin” steel facilities and jeopardize thousands of scrap jobs for no reason.

Unite members had previously supported the prospect of industrial action.

Alun Davies, national steel officer at Community, said of their vote: “Today our members gave their verdict on Tata Steel’s job cuts plan and voted to demand a better deal for the workforce.

“The community voted over 3,000 members across all Tata Steel production sites in the UK and over 85% voted in favor of industrial action.

“It should be noted that this resounding mandate was delivered despite company intimidation and unacceptable threats to reduce redundancy payments.

“We will now consult with our members on next steps and urge Tata to reconsider its position and return to the table to avoid a major industrial dispute.”

A Tata spokesperson responded: “Following the announcement in January of the company’s plans to invest £1.25 billion and restructure the UK business, we have begun a formal process of information sharing and consultation with our union colleagues, which continues in an open, collaborative and constructive fashion.

“On March 22, we introduced a comprehensive and significantly enhanced package of support for employees affected by the proposed transformation, which we added later this week – a £200 million commitment.

“We are naturally disappointed that, as consultation continues, some Community Union members across Tata Steel UK have indicated that they would be prepared to take industrial action, including strikes, if agreement cannot be reached on a way forward for the business and its employees.

“While the UK Government’s £1.25 billion commitment ensures a viable long-term future for low CO2 steel production in the UK, our current business is unsustainable, reporting losses of more than of 1 million pounds a day.”