ANOTHER 115 jobs are to be lost at a Newport steelworks as the crisis in the industry deepens, it has been rumoured.

It has been widely reported this weekend Tata Steel is set to announce 1,050 job losses tomorrow, Monday, including 115 at its Llanwern plant, which was partially mothballed in August.

If the plans go ahead seven per cent of the firm’s total workforce will lose their jobs, with its Port Talbot plant expected to bear the brunt of the cuts, with 620 staff set to lose their jobs. The remainder of the losses are said to be elsewhere in the firm.

The hot strip mill in Llanwern was mothballed in August last year, with 250 staff losing their jobs.  

Speaking today, Sunday, a Tata spokesman refused to comment on the rumours, saying: “We have no announcement to make at present. If we have significant news we would always tell employees first.”

In October 2015 Tata also cut 900 jobs from its Scunthorpe base and 290 from two plants in Scotland. In the same month 2,200 jobs were lost when the SSI steel plant in Redcar in the Tees Valley was closed.

But October also saw the Liberty Steel plant on the banks of the River Usk re-open.

Industry figures have largely blamed the crisis on an influx of cheap steel being ‘dumped’ on the UK market from China, as well as high energy costs.

Do you work for Tata? Have you heard anything about the job losses? Drop reporter Ian Craig a line on 01633 777 252 or ian.craig@southwalesargus.co.uk.