UK workers of Tata Steel Threaten Strike over Job Cuts, Blast Furnace Closures

Workers of Tata Steel in the UK have threatened to start an “indefinite strike” from July 8 to protest against the company’s plans of job cuts. If they resort to strike then it would be UK’s first strike by steelworkers in four decades.

Around 1,500 workers based in the Port Talbot and Llanwern steel plants will begin an all-out indefinite strike action over the company’s plans to cut 2,800 jobs and close its blast furnaces, British trade union, Unite, said in a statement on Friday.

Tata Steel is one of Britain’s biggest steelmakers. In April, the company said it plans a 1.25 billion pound ( Rs 13,217 crore) an electric arc furnace at Port Talbot and start closing the existing blast furnaces, according to a Bloomberg report.

The closures and job cuts were initially announced in January as part of the company’s plan to turn around its loss-making UK business.

The strike is scheduled just four days after the UK’s general elections. Britain’s Labour Party, largely expected to win the general election on July 4, has called for Tata to halt its plans and wait until after the vote to engage in talks with the government, reported the BBC.