Angry workers block access to Tata Steel

A group of around 100 Tata Steel employees blocked the gate to the company site with trucks on Tuesday morning, causing quite the traffic jam in Velsen-Noord. The workers are protesting the departure of Theo Henrar, who announced last week that he is leaving the steel giant after 33 years, NH Nieuws reports.

Tata Nederland's parent company says that Henrar is stepping down of his own accord. But workers in the Netherlands believe that he was fired, likely because of his strong advocacy for the interests of Tata Nederland.

For example, after Tata Steel Europe announced that 1,600 jobs would be cut at the IJmuiden steel mill, Henrar came to an agreement with the unions that there would be no layoffs at the Dutch branch of the company until October 2021, .

Tata director Hans van den Berg is at the scene to talk to the protesters.

Tata Steel workers also protested against Henrar's departure in spontaneous actions on Monday evening. Then they threatened to block rail crossings in Velsen. It is not clear whether they went through with that threat on Tuesday, according to NH Nieuws.