Union Tenders New Plan to Save Tata Steel Orb Steelworks

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The workers at Tata Steel’s Orb Steelworks in Newport have raised protest against the company’s decision to idle the plant. The workers’ union proposed a new plan to save the plant from closure.

The proposal has been prepared in consultation with consultants Syndex. It proposes to use steel from Port Talbot instead of the Netherlands. The plan calls for £30m funding by the Welsh or UK government to revive the steel plant operations. The proposal notes that the plant requires more automation. Further it calls for installation of a new annealing line to treat steel. This will make the facility produce steel for electric motor vehicles, whose demand is expected to peak in the coming years. The new model proposed by the Union recommends production of two different types of steel from the facility.

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The workers held protest march through Newport on Saturday to protest against job losses on account of the site closure.

The workers noted that sale of another business owned by it along with the money set aside to close the site would be enough to secure the future of Orb Steelworks. Tata Steel, while announcing its decision to close the facility, had noted that it doesn’t see any prospect of the facility returning into profitability any time soon. It had estimated a cost of more than £500m in converting the site to create steel for automotive industry.

A Welsh Government spokesman assured that it will continue to work with the company to do everything possible to sustain steel production and preserve steel jobs at all facilities including Orb.