Workers at Tata Steel were told that the company could potentially cease operations at its Port Talbot plant by July 7 due to a strike organized by Unite.
The BBC reported that the firm originally planned to shut down one of its blast furnaces by the end of June and the second by September.
However, Tata's Port Talbot workers have been told that, because of Unite's planned strike from July 8, the company could no longer be assured of sufficient resources to ensure safe and stable operations.
In response, Unite said that Tata's intention to shut or pause the blast furnaces three months earlier than intended was the latest in a long line of threats that would not deter them.
On the other hand, the Welsh government said it could not support the closure of both blast furnaces.
Unite Strikes vs. Tata's Job Cuts, Other Unions
Reuters reported that Unite's 1,500 Tata members announced its indefinite strike because Tata announced last week that it was cutting around 2,800 jobs upon the closure of its blast furnaces by the end of September, which itself was announced earlier this year.
A spokesperson for Tata said that the union's strike left the company with no choice but to pursue legal action to "challenge the validity of Unite's ballot."
The firm added that it was calling on Unite to withdraw its industrial action and join the Community and GMB unions in "giving consideration" to its proposal to include employee support packages, training, and skills development to get a similar job in the industry.
However, Unite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, said that the group was fighting for what it said was "the future of the steel industry," adding that the union has secured significant investment from the Labour Party, one of the two major political groups contesting in the United Kingdom's general election later this year, to safeguard its jobs.
Meanwhile, Community and GMB opposed Unite's move to hold the strike, calling it an "unacceptable" and "irreversible" decision.
Join the Conversation