ANGRY unions have intensified calls for North-East steel workers to strike over pensions.

The National Trade Union Steel Co-ordinating Committee (NTUS) has urged staff to walk out, branding Tata Steel a sham for its handling of potential changes to the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS).

Unions are already balloting members over strike action, but have demanded workers down tools, saying Tata’s consultation process has meant nothing.

The company has refuted the claims, saying it is working on ways to reduce the impact of any changes.

If staff take action, they will join the first national dispute in more than 30 years.

The BSPS had 143,000 members as of late last year, with assets of about £13.6bn.

However, Tata previously warned its pension fund was facing a major shortfall, and has proposed various changes, including the removal of early retirement enhancements, which could force people to work until they are 65.

The firm, which supports more than a thousand Teesside jobs and operates the Teesside Beam Mill, near Redcar, and a special profiles plant, in Skinningrove, east Cleveland, says it has made an offer to the unions and is still open for talks.

But an NTUS spokesman accused the firm of making no real effort in the consultation period.

He added: “We asked company representatives if there is any change as regards the proposal to close the scheme, but they said they remain unchanged.

“The entire individual consultation process is a sham and Tata has taken no notice of the views of their employees.

“In light of this flagrant disregard, all unions are united in their call for members to vote yes for industrial action.

“No doubt Tata will try and claim the meeting is an example of the company talking to the unions.

“But as we have said throughout, talk should be meaningful.

“The meeting was nothing of the sort.”

Unions Community, GMB and Ucatt have all sent out papers to members over strike action, with their ballots due to end on Friday, May 29.

Fellow union Unite’s result will close on Friday, June 5.

A Tata spokesman acknowledged the unions’ unrest, but said it was looking to help people where it could.

He added: “The company has confirmed it is minded to mitigate potential impacts.

“It will give careful consideration to ways in which this could be achieved when making its decision on what changes should be made to the pension scheme.”

Last week, Tata revealed it had moved its European business into the black, but warned cheap Chinese imports threatened its future performance.