Tata Steel could close its Port Talbot furnaces earlier than planned if strike action goes ahead next month.
Unite announced last week that an indefinite strike involving 1,500 workers would take place from 8 July – the first strike involving UK steelworkers in 40 years – over Tata Steel’s plans to close its blast furnaces.
Unite members are currently taking part in action short of a strike, including working to rule and declining any overtime.
Some 2,800 jobs are expected to be lost when the furnaces close. The closure is currently scheduled for September, but Tata Steel has said it could be forced to close them when the strike begins next month for safety reasons.
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A Tata Steel spokesperson said: “In the coming days, if we cannot be certain that we are able to continue to safely and stably operate our assets through the period of strike action, we will not have any choice but to pause or stop heavy end operations (including both blast furnaces) on the Port Talbot site.
“That is not a decision we would take lightly, and we recognise that it would prove extremely costly and disruptive throughout the supply chain, but the safety of people on or around our sites will always take priority over everything else.
“The company again calls for Unite to withdraw its industrial action and join Community and GMB unions in giving consideration to the company’s proposed Memorandum of Understanding, which puts forward a wide-ranging proposal including generous employee support packages, training, and skills development.”
The spokesperson added that it was taking legal action to challenge the validity of Unite’s strike ballot.
Members of the Community and GMB unions have also voted for strike action.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is fighting for the future of the steel industry. We have secured serious investment from Labour to safeguard jobs.
“Tata putting out a statement to shut or pause its blast furnaces three months earlier than they intended to is the latest In a long line of threats that won’t deter us. The Unite campaign is not about selling jobs, it’s about securing the long-term future of steel making in this country for thousands of workers in Port Talbot and South Wales.
“We call on the real decision makers in Mumbai to take hold of this dispute, sit down, negotiate and realise that the investment secured will be good for the company and workers.”
The Tata Steel spokesperson added: “We understand the impact of our restructuring will have on many employees and contractors, but we remain committed to a just transition and – pending a government-backed grant funding agreement – to the £1.25bn investment in low-CO2 steelmaking, which will ensure Tata Steel has a long and sustainable future in the UK.”
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