Plan to avoid wasting hundreds of jobs at Britain’s greatest metal plant
A rival plan has emerged to avoid wasting hundreds of jobs at Britain’s greatest steelworks.
The Mirror revealed this week how the Community and GMB unions had put ahead proposals geared toward stopping job cuts and persevering with “virgin” steelmaking at Tata’s Port Talbot plant. But hopes the Unite union would help the blueprint had been dashed. Instead, it has introduced its personal proposals to firm bosses.
Unite common secretary Sharon Graham stated: “Unite’s plan for Port Talbot would ensure jobs are created not lost, provide a bright future for South Wales and guarantee the UK as a global leader in green steel production.
“As the country and the world transition to net zero, the demand for steel is growing , especially low carbon steel – so the question is not whether we will be using more steel, simply where it is going to be made. If Tata and the Government continue on their current course, it will leave us in the ridiculous situation of needing more steel while we run down our own capacity to make it.”
Some 3,000 posts are below risk as the positioning switches from conventional coal-fired blast furnaces to greener electrical arc methods. About 4,000 staff are employed on the manufacturing unit. In September, the Tories introduced £500million of taxpayers’ cash can be pumped into the transition to electrical arc methods, which require much less manpower. Tata will inject one other £725m.
But Unite’s proposal, Growth not cuts: the Workers’ Plan for Port Talbot, recommends conserving one blast furnace operational till 2027, when it is because of be commissioned, and the opposite till 2034. The second would “close earlier only if replaced by a new ironmaking facility with all jobs maintained”, in response to Unite.
An electrical arc furnace can be prepared by 2027, whereas it additionally desires to “develop a plan to build further EAFs to expand capacity by 2032”. Unite stated: “This is a phased plan to expand capacity, to maintain ironmaking and guarantee every job on site.”
The union additionally desires to “develop a detailed plan for rebuilding the plant by 2032”, together with a “new industrial zone, manufacturing hub using Port Talbot steel and linked to the plant”. The transfer would create at the very least 2,800 jobs, claimed Unite.
Under the GMB and Community’s plan, drawn up by professional consultants Syndex, one furnace would shut now and get replaced with a smaller electrical arc system. The different blast furnace would keep open till 2032 then get replaced with a small, greener facility. Critics say it might cut back steelmaking potential by a 3rd.
The GMB and Community stated their plan would save 2,300 jobs over a decade, on high of the 1,000 already resulting from stay on the plant – which means 700 roles would go however obligatory redundancies could possibly be averted.
The Mirror has been campaigning to Save Our Steel since 2015.
