STEELWORKERS are to consult on industrial action after unions branded the loss of 3,000 jobs at the Tata steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales, as “totally unacceptable.”

Tata Steel announced the job losses yesterday as part of a transition from traditional coal-fired blast furnaces to more environmentally-friendly electric arc furnaces.

The company rejected an alternative transition plan drawn up by unions involving a phased switchover.