Some 2,000 Tata Steel workers protest merger plans

About 2,000 Tata Steel employees gathered to protest against a possible merger between Tata and the German ThyssenKrupp, Nederlands Dagblad reports.

A package of demands was handed over to the directors of Tata Steel Nederland during the demonstration. It also contained an ultimatum, set by unions FNV and CNV - the steel company has until October 1st to present firm commitments on guaranteeing job opportunities at Tata Steel in IJmuiden, and the unions want to be kept informed on the merger talks with ThyssenKrupp.

"We call on the directors of Tata Steel Nederland to quickly finish off the negotiations with us over the employment pact", FNV director Aad in 't Veld said. "We ask for no compulsory redundancies for five years. That pact worked well for the company in the past and will have to do so in the future too. If the board does not meet our requirements, more actions will follow."

The unions are concerned that a merge between Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp could cost up to 4 thousand jobs.