Socialist Party Wales Socialism In Wales
By Alec Thraves, Swansea Socialist Party and Swansea Trades Council
Update 15.45 July 1st
This article was posted before Unite’s suspension of its all-out strike action that was due to start next Monday, which has forced talks with the company. We will post further updates.
09.30 July 1st:
At the time of writing, Unite members in Port Talbot and Llanwern steelworks are preparing to launch all-out strike action from Monday, July 8th, in response to the proposed jobs slaughter by Tata.
Tata’s plan to close the two blast furnaces and replace them with electric arc production would result in thousands of direct and indirect jobs being lost, devastating working-class communities.
That is why Unite’s demand to save all jobs in the transition to green steel, backed up by militant industrial action, is the correct approach and should be supported by Community and GMB, who despite both unions winning industrial action ballots, will not be joining Unite on the picket lines.
Unite’s ongoing overtime ban, work to rule and planned strike action has seemingly forced Tata to offer new talks with the steel unions. This is despite senior management trying to intimidate steelworkers with threats of bringing forward the closures of the blast furnaces to this week.
Sharon Graham has responded by saying ‘They suspend closure, we suspend action’.
If negotiations do take place or if Tata’s high court injunction to prevent strike action succeeds, what is abundantly clear is that militant industrial action, coordinated across all steel unions could win a decisive victory, retaining all jobs and preserving virgin steelmaking at Port Talbot.
But it is essential that any industrial action is linked with political action.
If Tata continue their threat to bring forward the closure of the blast furnaces, all the steel unions must be prepared to take immediate industrial action, refuse to comply with instructions to wind down the blast furnaces, ensuring the safety of the plant and local communities.
This must be accompanied with the demand that the new Starmer government brings in emergency legislation to nationalise Tata in the same way Tory Prime Minister, Edward Heath nationalised Rolls Royce in 24 hours in 1971.
Irrespective of the live and fast-moving situation in this dispute, there must be a mass mobilisation of support and solidarity action for the strike action from July 8th.
