Socialist Party Wales Socialism In Wales
By Alec Thraves, Swansea Socialist Party and Swansea Trades Council
As negotiations between Tata, the steel unions and the new Labour government
continue, Tata has started the process of ‘seeking expressions of interest’ from those
steelworkers considering whether to accept the re-confirmed enhanced voluntary
redundancy package.
In a blatant attempt to impact on negotiations and to pressurise and bribe workers to
sell steel jobs, Tata has set a response deadline of August 7th .
Tata senior management were forced to the negotiating table by the threatened all-
out strike action that Unite had called and was due to start on July 8th (on the back of
an overtime ban and work-to-rule) days after Starmer’s Labour Government was
elected. This action has been suspended to allow on-going talks.
Jonathan Reynolds, Labour’s Business Secretary, the new Welsh Secretary, Jo
Stevens and the steel union leaders must finally put on the table the widely
supported demand for the nationalisation of Tata, under democratic workers’ control
and management with any compensation based only on proven need, meaning
nothing for the billionaire Tata bosses.
If, as Sharon Graham, Unite General Secretary, has reported, that Jonathan
Reynolds ‘understands the need to secure the future of steelmaking in Britain’ then
the only guarantee of that being achieved is by bringing steel fully back into public
ownership.
A nationalised steel industry would be able to plan, control and implement Unite’s
strategy for a ‘Workers’ Plan for Steel in Port Talbot’.
Unlike the Community and GMB supported Syndex plan, which would have resulted
in large, immediate and long-term job losses, Unite’s Workers’ Plan is a ‘strategy for
the future that would defend existing jobs and create new ones too’.
Central to this strategy, is the retaining of blast furnace 4, until at least 2032, whilst
investment in a green transition is developed and primary steel making secured.
However, Tata have made it brutally clear yet again, that they have no intention of
keeping blast furnace 4 firing, nor investing the billions of pounds needed for this transition.
The coke ovens and blast furnace 5 have already been de-commissioned and Tata
remain intransigent that blast furnace 4 will be shut down in September, no matter
what subsidy or investment promises will be on offer from a Labour government.
A red line must be drawn.
If blast furnace 4 is shut down then up to 2000 direct jobs in Port Talbot will
disappear, along with several thousand contractors, supply chain and local business
jobs.
Unite’s strategy correctly states that ‘at the heart of the Workers’ Plan is a basic
principle: workers must not pay for the transition’.
All the steel unions have voted for industrial action to defend their industry, save their
jobs and secure the future of the local communities. However, only Unite has moved
to take action. It’s essential that members of Community and GMB demand that
their unions join with Unite in preparing for future action that would be necessary if
Tata continue with their plans.
If Unite’s Workers’ Plan in ‘expanding capacity so that we can defend all jobs and
actually grow employment in the steel industry’ is to be achieved and steelworker’s
confidence boosted, then nationalisation must urgently be shouted from the rooftops
by Labour ministers and union representatives.
Tata’s strategy of trying to buy out the steel jobs of the present workforce and thus
denying well-paid, skilled work for future generations, must be vigorously opposed.
Any attempt by Tata to shut the remaining blast furnace 4 would have to be met by
all steel unions implementing their strike mandates, taking immediate industrial
action, including refusing to decommission the furnace. Such action backed by
solidarity and support from the rest of the trade union movement would be needed to
force the Starmer government to nationalise Tata steel.
A victory and future for steel can be won!
