More Tata workers vote for action over job cuts

The Unite union announced it will begin industrial action on 18 June

More workers have voted for industrial action over Tata Steel's plans to cut thousands of jobs in its efforts to make greener steel in south Wales.

The GMB union said a ballot of it members at the steel giant saw 72% vote in favour of industrial action.

Unite members at Tata Steel's Port Talbot and Llanwern site will begin a "work to rule" and overtime ban on 18 June over plans to close both blast furnaces with the loss of 2,800 UK jobs.

Tata Steel called the results of the vote "natural disappointing" and previously warned it could withdraw enhanced redundancy packages if workers go on strike.

"These brave workers have said clearly they won't go down quietly," said Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, a GMB national officer.

"Whilst Tata seem determined to douse the heat of our blast furnaces, the fire burns within our members' hearts," she added.

GMB is the smallest union at Tata Steel. The company said the ballot results from the GMB showed fewer than 40 people had voted for industrial action.

Community and Unite represent the bulk of the workforce, with over a thousand members each.

Tata Steel is proposing a £1.25bn investment - including £500m from the UK government - to build an electric arc furnace at its Port Talbot site, producing less carbon than the current blast furnaces, but employing fewer people.

The company said the current operation in Port Talbot was making losses of more than £1m a day and was at the end of its life, making it unreliable and inefficient.

A spokesperson said: "We are naturally disappointed that while consultation continues, some GMB Union members across Port Talbot and Llanwern have indicated that they would be prepared to take industrial action if an agreement cannot be reached on a way forward for the business and its employees."

"Our ambition remains to move forward at pace with a just transition, and to be at the centre of a future green industrial ecosystem in the UK."

The Community union, which represents the bulk of workers at Port Talbot, has told its members that it is considering an improved redundancy offer which it will put to them once negotiations are completed.

GMB is the latest of the three unions at Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant to vote for strikes