A planned strike by workers at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant, which was scheduled to commence next Monday, has been suspended following high-level negotiations over the weekend.
This decision comes as union officials express optimism about potential future investments at the south Wales site.
Members of the Unite union had been engaged in industrial action, including an overtime ban, and were poised to initiate indefinite strike action starting 8th July. The dispute arose from Tata’s plans to shut down its two blast furnaces by the end of September. This shutdown is part of a government-funded initiative to transition production to a less carbon-intensive electric arc furnace, slated to be operational by 2027.
Last week, Tata, Britain’s largest steel producer, cautioned that the ongoing industrial action could compel an earlier-than-planned shutdown of operations at Port Talbot, citing safety concerns.
However, following the weekend’s high-level talks, Unite announced that Tata is now willing to engage in negotiations concerning future investments at the site, rather than solely focusing on redundancies.
Unite’s 1,500 members at Tata in south Wales, who began an overtime ban last month, have now suspended both this action and the planned strike. Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, hailed this development as crucial for the protection of jobs and the future of steelmaking in south Wales. She emphasised that investment, secured by Unite, will be pivotal for the site’s future and urged for swift and sincere negotiations focused on fresh investment and the long-term continuation of steelmaking in the region.
The Labour Party, which counts Unite among its union donors, has also urged Tata to refrain from making any irreversible decisions regarding Port Talbot’s future before the general election on Thursday. Labour has committed to investing in and rebuilding the UK steel industry, including Port Talbot, to safeguard jobs, maintain strategic steelmaking capabilities, and transition to sustainable green steel production.
The strike action had caused a rift among unions at the site, with Community and GMB, the other two unions, opting not to participate in the walkout while discussions over enhanced redundancy packages with the company continued.
Alun Davies, national officer for Community, praised Unite’s decision to rejoin discussions with their sister steel unions. He noted that Tata had confirmed its readiness to resume talks on a potential memorandum of understanding through the multi-union steel committee, chaired by Community. Davies expressed regret over the lack of progress since May 22 but welcomed the opportunity to resume negotiations.
Labour has promised to secure a better deal for the steel industry if it gains power, advocating for a compromise plan supported by Community and GMB to retain one of the blast furnaces until the electric arc furnace becomes operational. This plan, projected to cost taxpayers more than the £500 million proposed by the Conservative government, has been rejected by Tata, which plans to invest £750 million to decarbonise its UK operations as part of its agreement with ministers.
