 "Harish Patel")
After Tata Steel, the second-largest steelmaker in Europe, on Wednesday announced its intention to sell its UK business to rein in deteriorating financial performance, the fate of about 12,000 workers (direct and indirect) employed at the plant is at stake. Harish Patel, national officer (metals and foundry) of Unite, Britain's largest trade union, spoke to Aditi Divekar on phone about the union's plans to protect the workers' interest. Edited excerpts:
Now that Tata Steel is planning to sell its UK business, what is going to be your role as a trade union?
We are absolutely devastated by the Tata Steel decision. At least 12,000 workers will be affected by this decision across the UK site. There is also going to be a knock-on impact on the downstream industry, the supply chain. We are going to ensure government intervention and we are also going to ask Tata Steel to bring a single responsible owner who will take over the operations entirely and not in parts. Also, we are also going to ask for a long-term investor and will not settle down for any venture capital as our employer.
It's difficult to get a buyer in this market. Moreover, this unit is loss making. What if Tata Steel is not able to get anyone to buy this unit?
The steel industry is the foundation industry of the UK. We are going to put pressure on the government for investment because this is not just about the workers but it is about the community and the future of manufacturing in the UK. It has to be restored. It is not only about keeping the jobs of the workers at the facility. It is about the steel industry, which is heart of manufacturing. This is the only steel plant in the UK which makes steel from iron ore. So, it is important to get the right owner.
What kind of pressure are you going to put on the government?
The government has said it will intervene, but so far there has been no concrete position. We are going to demand that the government buy the asset and does proper assessment before selling it to a new company. The trade unions along with representatives of the UK government and the Tata Steel management will be meeting on Friday.
In the meeting, we'll make sure there will be no piecemeal selling of assets and that at least six months time is given by Tata Steel to look for a buyer whose aim is to do business with the idea of transforming the operations in the long run.
