Dutch Tata Steel workers strike at IJmuiden plant

Tata Steel factory workers went on strike for the second time in three days on Sunday to protest planned job cuts in the Netherlands, delaying a shipment to Britain, labour union FNV said. Tata's managing board said it needed more time to consider the union's demands that no jobs be cut until October 2026 and plans to further integrate Tata's Dutch and British activities be scrapped.

Tata Steel factory workers went on strike for the second time in three days on Sunday to protest planned job cuts in the Netherlands, delaying a shipment to Britain, labor union FNV said. Workers have held work stoppages since June 10, but the actions were suspended last week while talks were held with Tata Steel Europe's management.

Those talks failed to reach an agreement. Tata's managing board said it needed more time to consider the union's demands that no jobs be cut until October 2026 and plans to further integrate Tata's Dutch and British activities be scrapped. Employees were stopping work for eight hours on Sunday, a statement said, after a strike on Friday night.

A shipment of steel to Camden, England, will not be loaded as a result and the ship will remain at the dock in IJmuiden. Unions say Tata aims to cut more than 1,000 of the 9,000 jobs at the IJmuiden plant in the Netherlands to improve the profitability of its European business.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic reduced demand for steel, especially from the auto industry, the European steel sector was under pressure from weak demand and rising costs.