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Tata Steel job cuts: union responds

Responding to news that Tata Steel Europe is proposing 1,000 job cuts in the UK, Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary of the Community trade union, said:

“We are seriously concerned about the direction that Tata Steel Europe is taking. We have consistently called for a vision for the future, which includes plans for investment. Yet again that is lacking. We have been presented with short-term plans, which only create worry and uncertainty and do little to inspire confidence. It feels like the company is just managing decline and we need a significant change of direction that can inspire the workforce that they have a future.

Roy Rickhuss spoke to BBC Wales about the proposed job losses

“This is a consequence of management failure to have a Plan B following the collapse of the joint venture with Thyssenkrupp. Our members should not pay the price for those mistakes. The European Works Council met today and we have made it very clear to Tata that their plans are unacceptable and they need to rethink their strategy and management have agreed to do this. We are surprised that Tata have released this statement, which is against the spirit of what Tata have agreed to do today. It shows a complete and utter contempt for the workforce as we told them that their plans are ill-thought out, badly conceived and need to be revisited.”

Tata Steel Europe put out a press release following a meeting of its European Works Council today. The European Works Council, which brings together employee representatives from across the business, also issued a statement expressing its collective position on the current Tata Steel job cuts proposals.

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