According to the BBC, Tata Steel is moving on with plans to close both of its blast furnaces in Port Talbot, which is projected to result in the loss of 3,000 jobs nationwide. The majority are anticipated to leave by September, with the steelworks in Port Talbot switching to an environmentally friendly electric arc furnace. The “worst-case scenario” and a “crushing blow” were how the unions described it. The UK government declared that it will assist workers and the regional economy.
With two coal-powered blast furnaces located in Port Talbot, the UK’s largest steelworks, Tata Steel currently employs 8,000 people, of which about 4,000 work there. Tata Steel’s decision will be made public at 11:30 GMT on Friday. It comes after a meeting between leaders from the firm and the Unite, GMB, and Community unions. According to sources, Tata turned down the unions’ request to maintain one blast furnace operational during the transition in order to prevent layoffs.
Instead, the Indian-owned company will invest £1.25 billion, which includes a £500 million subsidy from the UK government, to switch to a steelmaking process that will reduce carbon emissions and stop losing £1 million every day on its UK operations. It will require fewer workers but function in a more environmentally responsible manner. Shaun Spencer, a 38-year-old electrical engineer at the site, indicated that “technical people like the electricians, the fitters” will find it most challenging. “There’s going to be a lot of high-quality jobs gone, and I don’t know where they’re going to be replaced,” he stated. “It’s very sad, we have a lot of people we know at Tata and the steelworks, this town, everything is going to die, because we rely on the steel,” said 24-year-old Casey Jones of Sandfields in Port Talbot.
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