PORT TALBOT steelworkers will likely strike if Tata Steel closes the site’s blast furnaces before transitioning into alternative greener technology, a Unite union rep has told the Morning Star.
Bosses from the Indian conglomerate face questioning from MPs tomorrow after confirming plans to close the south Wales plant’s furnaces, resulting in up to 2,800 jobs losses and a further 300 potential redundancies at another site in Llanwern.
Tata’s decision to close its blast furnaces — along with a parallel decision by Chinese-owned British Steel in Scunthorpe — has raised concerns among MPs as it would leave Britain unable to make primary steel directly from iron ore.
Electrical engineer Jason Wyatt told the Star that closing both furnaces would leave Britain very vulnerable, as it would mean the Port Talbot plant reliant on imported ore to produce steel.
He said keeping one furnace open during a transition period for Tata’s planned switch to electric arc furnaces was likely the red line among colleagues for striking and warned that the risk of war in the Middle East could disrupt international supply lines.
“It would leave us very vulnerable: for the transition period it is imperative that we maintain blast furnace operations,” he said.
Half of some £1 billion Tata has received in pledged government support is set to go to the switch to the “greener” arc furnaces, which involve remaking steel from scrap — presumably domestic, but possibly cheaper imported.
Tata plans to import semi-finished steel slabs from sites in India and the Netherlands before the electric arc furnace is operational in 2027.
Its global chief executive TV Narendran and UK chief executive Rajesh Nair are to appear before MPs on the Welsh affairs committee tomorrow.
Unite is organising “Workers’ plan for steel” demonstrations in steel towns on Thursday in response to the closure plans. Hundreds are expected to display “steel jobs not for sale” boards in their gardens in Sheffield, Port Talbot, Teesside and Scunthorpe.
Labour has said it will invest £3bn in the steel industry and is reportedly seriously considering backing hydrogen steelmaking as an option.
Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said the job losses at Port Talbot steelworks showed that the Tories “still spend a lot of money, but they’ll do it to make thousands of people redundant.”
