The union is in a row with the company over plans to close two blast furnaces at its Port Talbot plant in south Wales and switch to a greener way of steel production
A planned strike by workers at steel giant Tata over job losses has been suspended.
Members of Unite have been taking industrial action such as banning overtime and were due to stage an all-out strike from next Monday. The union is embroiled in a dispute with the company over plans to close the two blast furnaces at its plant in Port Talbot, south Wales and switch to a greener way of steel production, which needs fewer workers.
The union said the current industrial action and next week’s strike had been suspended. Unite said its decision follows confirmation from Tata, arising from high-level talks throughout the weekend, that it was prepared to enter into negotiations about future investment for its operations and not just redundancies, in South Wales, including at Port Talbot.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a significant development in the battle to protect jobs and the long-term future of steel making in South Wales. Investment from Labour secured by Unite will be key to the future of the site.”
“This breakthrough would not have come about without the courage of our members at Port Talbot who were prepared to stand up and fight for their jobs. Workers were simply not prepared to stand idly by while steel making ended and their communities were laid to waste. It is essential that these talks progress swiftly and in good faith with the focus on fresh investment and ensuring the long-term continuation of steel making in South Wales.”
Community and GMB, the steelworkers’ unions, are urging Tata to reconsider its strategy but have stopped short of calling for strikes. Alun Davies, Community’s national officer, expressed relief at Unite’s move to halt strike plans, saying: “With thousands of jobs at stake, we welcome Unite’s decision to withdraw their strike action and get back around the table with their sister steel unions.”
Davies also noted Tata’s willingness to re-engage in talks, stating: “Tata confirmed that if the strike was called off, they are ready to resume discussions on a potential MOU (memorandum of understanding) through the Multi-Union Steel Committee which is chaired by Community.”
He clarified the ongoing negotiations, adding: “The truth is Tata never walked away from those discussions, and at our last meeting on 22 May, all unions agreed to conclude the negotiations and put the outcome to our members. Community will welcome resuming those discussions, but we regret that zero progress has been made since 22 May.”
The looming shutdowns of blast furnaces remain a concern, with the first scheduled to cease operations on Thursday and the second set for closure at the end of September.
