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Tata to decide fate of UK steelworks Tata to decide fate of UK steelworks
(about 2 hours later)
UK union leaders have held talks in India ahead of a Tata Steel board meeting that could decide the fate of thousands of workers. Steel giant Tata is holding a board meeting in India which could decide the fate of thousands of UK workers.
Officials from the Community union had "constructive" talks with Tata Steel representatives in Mumbai, where the board is meeting on Tuesday. In January, Tata said it planned to cut more than a thousand jobs at its UK plants - with 750 due to be lost at Port Talbot in south Wales.
The future of thousands of UK steelworkers is at stake. Unless the board meeting in Mumbai agrees to this turnaround plan, the future of the plant could be in doubt.
The Port Talbot plant in south Wales suffered most of the 1,000 job losses announced in January. The UK steel industry has been hit by a combination of factors that have hit its competitiveness.
Unless Tata goes ahead with a turnaround plan, the future of the huge plant could be in doubt.
Tata 'will be wary of reputation'
Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of Community, along with Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon, and Frits van Wieringen, chairman of the Tata Steel European works council, met in Mumbai with senior representatives of Tata Steel ahead of Tuesday's board meeting.
A Community spokesman said the meeting was "open and constructive", with the European delegates making the case for Tata to continue to support the UK business.
"Tata Steel representatives outlined the context of commitment to the UK business to date, financial performance and the challenging global conditions of the steel sector," he added.
More than 35,000 people have signed an open letter to Tata Steel chairman, Cyrus Mistry, in support of the UK steelworkers.
Why is Port Talbot steelworks important?Why is Port Talbot steelworks important?
How the town's fortunes mirror the steelworksHow the town's fortunes mirror the steelworks
Port Talbot steelworks: Through generations of one familyPort Talbot steelworks: Through generations of one family
Mr Rickhuss said: "In Mumbai, I'll be standing up for the whole UK steel industry and asking Tata to give us the chance we need to succeed. These factors include relatively high energy prices, the extra cost of climate change policies, and competition from China.
"Steel is the very foundation of our manufacturing base; even the prime minister has conceded that it would be simply unacceptable for Tata to end our steelmaking capacity." There have been allegations that Chinese steel is being "dumped" on world markets at unrealistically low prices, prices that UK plants cannot compete with.
Mr Kinnock told the BBC: "What we need now is Tata Steel to hold its nerve to back the plan and we can move forward, get the steelworks back to break even and then, over a longer period, getting it really operating in surplus again." At the same time China's economy has remained sluggish, meaning that the demand for steel from that nation's construction sector is not as strong as it once was.
Steelworkers and companies have called for more action from the government to tackle cheap Chinese steel imports and high energy costs, which have been blamed for thousands of job cuts. 'All options'
Meanwhile, Business Minister Anna Soubry told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the government was prepared to consider "all options" to ensure that steel production continued at Port Talbot.
"We are looking at all manner of options that may or may not be available to us as a government, all options," she said. "It starts from a base of making sure that we continue to make steel in Port Talbot."
Last week, Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK government wanted "to be very supportive and very helpful" to the UK steel industry.
There are strict EU rules that restrict how much support governments can give to particular industries.
Reputation
Before the Tata board meeting, Welsh steel representatives held talks in India with company board members.
Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the union Community, along with Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon, and Frits van Wieringen, chairman of the Tata Steel European works council, met senior representatives from the firm.
According to BBC India business reporter Yogita Limaye, Tata "will be wary of the impact on its reputation" if it is forced to close the Port Talbot plant, as it is seen in India as a firm that cares for its employees.
The final decision on whether to approve the turnaround plan will be made by the 11-member Tata Steel board, led by chairman Cyrus Mistry.
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