Unite welcomes Tata sale

Unite said it looked forward to working closely with Liberty House to secure the future of advanced steelmaking in the UK.

It followed today’s (February 9) announcement that Tata Steel has signed an agreement to sell its Speciality Steels business to Liberty House Group for £100m.

The business employs 1,700 workers making products for the aerospace, automotive and oil and gas industries, and has several sites in South Yorkshire.

“This is a welcome step which will begin to provide a degree of stability for our members in the speciality steel business,” said Unite national officer Tony Brady.

“The workforce makes some of the most advanced steel in the world and has worked hard to secure the business’s future,” he said. “Unite is looking forward to working with Liberty to gain a greater understanding of its plans for the future of the business and ensure that it continues to go from strength to strength.

“Tata Steel must now focus its energies on delivering on its promises to the remainder of its workforce. Government ministers still have a role to play by ensuring UK steel is the beating heart of its industrial strategy and is used in all major infrastructure and defence projects.”