Tag Archives: Tata Steel

By Alec Thraves, Swansea Socialist Party and Swansea Trades Council Steelworkers in Community and GMB unions  are awaiting the results of a vote on whether to accept a settlement with Tata Steel. Unite the Union representatives decided that the terms were not good enough at that point to be put to the vote. Up to 2,800 direct-employed jobs will be ...

By Alec Thraves, Swansea Socialist Party and Swansea Trades Council As negotiations between Tata, the steel unions and the new Labour governmentcontinue, Tata has started the process of ‘seeking expressions of interest’ from thosesteelworkers considering whether to accept the re-confirmed enhanced voluntaryredundancy package.In a blatant attempt to impact on negotiations and to pressurise and bribe workers tosell steel jobs, Tata ...

By Alec Thraves Swansea Socialist Party and Swansea Trades Council Unite has suspended the all-out strike action it was due to start from Monday 8 July, in response to the proposed jobs slaughter by Tata Steel, after a meeting of its reps. This action has forced senior management back to the negotiating table. The fact that, until a few days ...

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 ...

By Alec Thraves, Swansea Socialist Party and Swansea Trades Council Tata’s threat to close down its UK steel operations must be met with united strike action from all of the steel unions! Over the weekend, Rajesh Nair, Tata steel CEO, has responded to Unite’s planned work to rule and overtime ban, due to start on June18th, with a threatening letter ...

By Alec Thraves, delegate from Swansea Trades Council With a rebranding its name, on the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Wales TradesUnion Congress (TUC), the 2024 biennial congress of ‘TUC Cymru’ in Llandudno was arefreshing and largely combative event, which took up the key issues facing the trade unionmovement in Wales.A big factor in this changed mood, compared ...

By Alec Thraves Wales TUC Congress delegate The 2024 biennial Wales TUC Congress, meeting in Llandudno on its 50th anniversary, will yet again be debating the continuing attacks on the wages, jobs and conditions of trade unionists across Wales, and the devastating impact these are having on working-class families and communities. The crisis in the public sector will be highlighted, ...

By Gareth Bromhall, Swansea and West Wales Socialist Party and Swansea Trades Council secretary Trade unionists and supporters gathered to celebrate international workers’ day at Swansea Trades Council’s annual May Day rally. The rally was called in support of steelworkers at Tata Steel at Port Talbot and Llanwern in Newport, and was headed by main speaker Jason Wyatt, a Unite rep ...

Strike to fight the jobs massacre – Nationalisation not devastation By Alec Thraves (Vice President, Swansea Trades Council) Seven months of fruitless ‘negotiations’ between the steel unions and Tata’s deaf, brutal and intransigent bosses have resulted in the widely expected rejection of both the Unite and the Community/GMB alternative proposals to retain primary steel making at Port Talbot. With a ...

By Alec Thraves Unite has announced a significant ‘Yes’ vote result in their ballot for industrial actionat Port Talbot and Llanwern.All four bargaining units, across the two sites, returned a ‘Yes’ vote showing thedetermination of the majority of the1,500 Unite members to defend their jobs andsave the industry and protect the local communities.With the average age of a Unite Port ...