Tata Steel Europe workers question Thyssenkrupp JV rationale

LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Tata Steel's European labour representatives said they remain unconvinced by a planned joint venture with Thyssenkrupp, adding there were still numerous details that needed to be hammered out before they could endorse a deal.

The remarks by Tata Steel Europe's European Works Council (EWC) threaten to further delay a deal to combine Thyssenkrupp's steel operations with Tata's European steel business, a pact which has not been signed because of resistance from Dutch workers.

"The EWC acknowledges there is an industrial rationale for pursuing this JV, but with the matters outstanding the EWC remains unconvinced that this partnership with Thyssenkrupp would be in the best interests of the TSE operations and the employees we represent," it said in a statement.

(Reporting by Maytaal Angel and Christoph Steitz; Edward Taylor)