Welcome steel report

The country’s largest manufacturing union, Unite called on government ministers to adopt yesterday’s (January 23) special report published by the all-party parliamentary group on Steel and Metal Related Industries.

Published on the same day as the government outlines its industrial strategy, the ‘Steel 2020’ report, containing 42 recommendations, lays out a blueprint for the UK’s crisis hit steel industry drawing on evidence submitted by the industry, unions and the workforce, trade bodies, politicians and local authorities.

The report calls on the government to take the steps which Unite and the steel unions have been calling for over the past 12 months, which include access to the single market and a strong trade deal with the EU as well as a fair trade on the global steel market by taking strong defence measures against cheap Chinese imports.

The report also calls for ensuring big infrastructure projects use 100 per cent UK made steel; support for the steel supply chain, re-skilling and a National Investment Bank; a national industrial strategy which includes worker representation on boards; and support for mothballed of plants to save jobs and skills and help with business rates.

“The cross party group of MPs has taken on board the key points Unite and the steel unions have been arguing for and laid down the gauntlet for government ministers,” said Unite general secretary Len McCluskey.

“Steel is a key foundation industry sustaining tens of thousands of jobs and manufacturing communities across the UK,” he added. “It should be the beating heart of any manufacturing industrial strategy and a source for decent jobs for generations to come.

“It was with bitter disappointment and a sense of betrayal that steelworkers learned of the decision to import steel for HS2,” McCluskey noted. “We cannot have a repeat of British steel being overlooked for major defence and infrastructure projects, or the dumping of cheap Chinese steel which left the industry teetering over a precipice. Not only is it a real blow to workers fighting for their jobs, but it’s not very strategic industrially.

“With the uncertainty of Brexit compounding months of turmoil for steel workers and their families, ministers need to adopt the key recommendations of this report to ensure the steel industry has a strong sustainable future and goes from strength to strength.”