Steelworkers at the UK’s largest production plant vote to strike over job losses

By PAN PYLAS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Union officials say steelworkers at Britain’s largest steel production plant have voted to go on strike for the first time in 40 years. They will protest the planned cuts of 2,800 jobs by Indian owner Tata Steel. The Unite trade union said Thursday that 1,500 of its members at the south Wales plant and the nearby smaller Newport Llanwern steelworks backed the strike action. In January, Tata said it would close both blast furnaces at Port Talbot as part of plans to make its unprofitable U.K. operation leaner and greener, replacing them with more environmentally friendly electric arc furnaces.