Newport East MP Jessica Morden met with Tata Steel members in Newport today to show her support for the steel industry.
Jessica Morden was joined at the meeting by Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary of Community Union; Alasdair McDiarmid, Assistant General Secretary of Community Union; and Alun Davies, Community’s National Officer for Steel.
Community, which represents the vast majority of Tata Steel workers impacted by the company’s decarbonisation strategy, is currently balloting its members at Llanwern, Port Talbot and downstream sites on industrial action.
The planned course of action is in response to Tata’s bad deal for steel, which would cut thousands of jobs in the steel industry across South Wales and remove Britain’s capability to produce primary steel.
Jessica Morden MP said:
“It was good to catch up with steelworkers and union reps from Llanwern today. It is clear that Tata and Rishi Sunak’s bad deal for steel would represent a huge blow to our steel industry and steel communities like our own in Newport. The deal would also leave the UK country dependent on imported steel from heavy-polluting countries at a time of global uncertainty.
“It doesn’t have to be this way, and the Multi-Union Plan for steel which Community and GMB have put forward represents a viable alternative to protect jobs and preserve steelmaking capacity here in South Wales. I urge Tata to think again and change course from their damaging proposals.
“Now more than ever, we need our steel – which is why Labour has committed to a game-changing £3billion investment in the industry if we form the next UK government.”
Roy Rickhuss CBE, Community General Secretary, said:
“Jessica has been a champion for Llanwern and the wider steel industry in Parliament, and we were grateful for her time today. As we discussed, Tata’s bad deal for steel would be devastating for our steel industry. It would see skilled jobs lost at vital sites like Llanwern, and dirty steel products imported from overseas. The Tata plan is bad for jobs, bad for the environment and bad for proud steelmaking communities across South Wales. It’s unviable, undeliverable and unacceptable, and our members won’t be bullied or intimidated into accepting it.
“Industrial action is always a last resort for any worker, but our members know that we now have to fight to save our industry, and we must every tool at our disposal to apply pressure on Tata to change course. We are urging our members to vote ‘Yes’ and ‘Yes’ for industrial action, and we urge the company to look again at our Multi-Union Plan – a credible alternative to Tata’s plan which safeguards primary steelmaking capacity and avoids compulsory redundancies.”
Community Union’s ballot on industrial action launched on 11th April, and will run for a month.
Join the union for steelworkers
Community is the steelworkers’ union. More steelworkers are members of Community than any other union, and we represent the vast majority of workers impacted by Tata’s decarbonisation plans. We have a history dating back over a century, representing members and campaigning to protect Britain’s steel industry. We are a modern trade union, campaigning for a better working world.
If you are a member of Community and need advice or support, please contact our Service Centre at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2024