Tata Steel confirms job cuts

TATA Steel today confirmed that nearly 500 jobs are due to be axed, blaming weak demand in the construction industry.

Jobs will be lost at its plants in Scunthorpe, Workington and Teesside.

Scunthorpe will be hit the hardest with around 340 cuts, while there is expected to be 90 in Workington and 40 in Teesside, mainly affecting management and administrative roles.

Chief executive of Tata Steel’s European operations, Karl Koehler said: “European steel demand this year is expected to be only two-thirds of pre-crisis levels after falls in the past two years.

“On top of the challenging economic conditions, rules covering energy and the environment in Europe and the UK threaten to impose huge additional costs on the steel industry.”