Tata Steel workers protest against announced mass layoffs

Employees of steel producer Tata Steel gathered on the parking lot of FC Velsenoord in Velsen-Noord on Tuesday morning to protest against announced layoffs at the steel factory in IJmuiden. The employees are gathered to hear what managers of union FNV and the chairman of the company's Central Works Council have to say about their future, NH Nieuws reports.

Last month Tata Steel announced that 3 thousand jobs will be cut in Europe, including 1,600 at the IJmuiden factory.

According to CEO Henrik Adam, the layoffs in the Netherlands are necessary because the Dutch steel factory is not operating as well as it could. No further explanation was given, the unions and CWC said, according to NH Nieuws. They suspect that problems at the British branch of Tata resulted in the mass layoffs in the Netherlands.

There is a lot of incomprehension among the Tata Steel employees about the mass layoffs, Niels Mans of FNV said th NH Nieuws. There are major concerns about the future of the factory, which is the largest employer in the IJmond region. He therefore expects a large turnout at the protest on Tuesday.