COVID-19: 'Worried' workers at Tata Steel's Dutch unit demand job security

NEW DELHI: Workers of Tata Steel's Dutch operations at IJmuiden unit are worried and demanding job security from the management, labour union Federatie Nederlandse Vakverenigingen (FNV) said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the workers of company's IJmuiden unit boycotted work and went on a strike, FNV said in a statement. From 2 pm afternoon, workers at the ore preparation area of plant went on strike, affecting the supply of the raw material for the blast furnaces, pellet factory and sinter factory, it said.

In the statement, Roel Berghuis, spokesman of FNV, of which thousands of Tata Steel IJmuiden plant workers are members, said: "It is for the first time in 28 years that people at Tata Steel IJmuiden are on strike. That shows how much the people of Tata Steel Netherlands are concerned."

According to the Dutch labour union, the "inevitable move" was taken when the management of Tata Steel did not respond to the demands of the employees. The workers want, among other things, the guarantee that there will be no redundancies and that no jobs will disappear.

"The Indian owners want to cut thousands of jobs at Tata Steel Europe. Last month, chairman of Tata Steel Netherlands Theo Henrar was suddenly laid off. Still, there has not been a proper explanation about that departure. They (workers) are fed up and want...the survival of Tata Steel in IJmuiden."

"Furthermore, the staff requires that agreements in the Employment Pact are extended until 2026 and that no parts of Tata Steel Netherlands are sold," it said.

In its response, Tata Steel said it recognises the uncertainty in the minds of the employees and respects the rights of the workers in IJmuiden steelworks. In the current environment of global uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has been working with all stakeholders, including the unions in both Netherlands and the UK, to meet the challenges.

Tata Steel also said it had requested the union in the Netherlands to postpone industrial action so it could continue discussions and find the best way forward to meet everyone's interests, and added the industrial action will only put further pressure on the company's results as it continues to deal with the impact of lower steel demand caused by the pandemic. It is important all stakeholders make every effort to keep the company in good health.

"We value the dialogue with our employee representatives and we will continue discussions with them. We have invited the FNV union for a conversation and while it has not responded, our door is still open and the company looks forward to an active engagement with the unions in the coming days," Tata Steel said.