Tata Steel workers must have voice on plans, say unions

Unions have warned that a deal to produce steel in a greener way at Port Talbot must not be done without giving workers a say.

Officials from Community, GMB and Unite have met Tata bosses for the first time since the plans were announced.

The UK government and Tata has agreed a £1.2bn deal that is likely to result in about 3,000 job losses across the UK.

Community insisted it was "vital" Tata gave more detail before it sat down with executives from India.

Community said it told them "all options" must remain on the table to protect plants.

"The company have said they will give full transparency to our specialists, Syndex, and will give them time to complete their findings," a spokesman said.

GMB national officer Charlotte Brumpton-Childs said Tata should not shut itself off from solutions to make the industry greener without redundancies.

"This deal is not and must not be a fait accompli - workers must have a voice," she said.

The meeting was, she said, the first step in the "long process" of consulting with workers over job losses.

A Tata Steel spokesperson said: "We believe our £1.25bn proposal for green steel making in Port Talbot will secure jobs, bolster UK steel security and help develop a green ecosystem in the region.

"We are committed to meaningful consultation with our trade union partners about these proposals and will listen carefully to their concerns."

The company has previously said it was "committed to meaningful consultation" and wanted to "find solutions" to union concerns.

Ending blast furnace production in Port Talbot is considered a crucial element in reducing emissions from the UK steel industry.

The site features two blast furnaces working around the clock to produce steel used in everything from tin cans to cars.

The Port Talbot plant is easily the largest polluter in Wales, emitting roughly two tonnes of carbon for every tonne of steel it produces.

The UK government announced on Friday that it had committed up to £500m to Tata's decarbonisation plan, which would fund the installation of new electric arc furnaces. Tata said it had committed £750m.

Tata employs about 8,000 people in the UK, half of whom work in Port Talbot.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the deal protected about 5,000 jobs "which would have been lost", but risked the roles of about 3,000 other workers employed by Tata Steel UK.

Before the meeting Community general secretary Roy Rickhuss said: "Following last week's announcement it is vital that Tata present us with their detailed plans."

He said the union did "not accept" a plan that only included an electric arc furnace in Port Talbot, and which did not consider other technologies.

"Wednesday is the first meeting following the announcement - consultation must be meaningful and Tata must listen to Community and its workforce," he added.

The current blast furnaces produce steel used in everything from tin cans to cars. However, the proposed new £1.25bn furnaces melt scrap metal to form recycled steel.

They are expected to be up and running within three years of getting regulatory and planning approvals.

The company warned there would be a "transition period including potential deep restructuring" at the plant.