Commenting on the announcement by Liberty Steel that 440 jobs could be affected by the next phase of its restructuring programme, Unite national officer Harish Patel said:

“Unite will be demanding forensic scrutiny of all aspects of Liberty’s plans following the announcement of these potentially massive redundancies. We will utilise every element of the union’s power to challenge these plans and their consequences for the long-term future of the Tredegar, Newport and West Bromwich sites.

“The government has also a case to answer: Steel manufacturing is a sector of critical national importance, both for the nation’s self-sufficiency and the thousands of jobs it supports. Ministers must come up with a plan to solve the astronomical energy prices that are crippling the sector. The ball is in their court on this crisis – they cannot walk on by again.”

In announcing these redundancies, the company has failed to consult in any way with the trade unions at the company. Unite will be fighting tooth and nail for every one of these jobs and sites.

The company’s behaviour in not informing or consulting with the trade unions before announcing this decision is disgraceful. Unite has been working closely with Liberty Steel to assist it get through its ongoing financial problems. For the company to continue these discussions and fail to mention the prospect of these massive redundancies to us shows a complete lack of integrity of behalf on Liberty Steel.

ENDS 

For media enquires ONLY contact Unite communications officer Ryan Fletcher on 07849 090215.

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Unite is Britain and Ireland’s largest union with members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.