Indian-owned Tata Steel to cut 900 jobs around the UK 

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Indian-owned Tata Steel is to close 12 plants in the UK resulting in 900 job losses around the country including almost 600 jobs at plants in Wales.

Most of the Welsh losses will be management and administrative posts in Port Talbot, with Llanwern near Newport also hit.

Other job cuts include 155 in Yorkshire, 120 in the West Midlands and 30 on Teesside.

Shift levels at the company's Rotherham and Hartlepool plants will be reduced to match production to lower demand for bar products and pipelines.
Tata also announced that it would re-start one of two blast furnaces at Port Talbot early next year as part of a 250 million pounds investment programme.

Chief executive of Tata Steel's European operations, Karl Kohler, said in a statement: "Today's proposals are part of a strategy to transform ourselves into an all-weather steel producer, capable of succeeding in difficult economic conditions.

"These restructuring proposals will help make our business more successful and sustainable, but the job losses are regrettable and I know this will be a difficult and unsettling time for the employees and their families affected.

"We will be working with our trade unions and government at a national and local level to ensure we provide them with as much assistance and support as possible.

"In addition, our subsidiary UK Steel Enterprise will be looking at how it can provide more support to local steel communities and stimulate new jobs following today's announcement.

"We will strengthen this work with a further 650,000 pounds to help them create new jobs in affected areas".