UNITE called on Tata today to negotiate rather than issue threats to bring forward closure of Port Talbot blast furnaces if it wants strike action suspended.

The Indian conglomerate had been planning to turn off both furnaces by September in order to switch to electric arc technology at a cost of 2,800 South Wales jobs.

But on Thursday it claimed that Unite’s indefinite strike next month had been left it “with no alternative” but to shut them down by July 7 due to not having enough staff to ensure safe operations.