Tata Steel's Llanwern steelworks in south Wales is feeling the pressure from cheap steel imports, with production lines running at reduced capacity. Workers have been reassigned to maintenance and cleaning tasks as machines sit idle for parts of the day, according to a report from the BBC.
The plant, which employs around 1,000 people, has seen a decline in demand for its steel products, partly due to an influx of lower-cost imports from countries like China and India. This has led to a situation where 'the line's running half-empty,' as one worker described it.
Tata Steel has not announced any job cuts at Llanwern, but the reduced working hours are a concern for the workforce. The company has previously called for government action to address unfair trade practices and to support the UK steel industry.
The UK government has introduced some measures, such as a carbon border adjustment mechanism, but industry leaders argue that more needs to be done to protect domestic steelmakers from the impact of cheap imports.
