‘Don’t hide behind EU’

UK steel workers are today (November 9) travelling to Brussels to urge business secretary Sajid Javid and his European counterparts to take urgent action to stop the dumping of cheap Chinese steel.

Belgian and French steel unions will join the steel workers from Unite, Community and the GMB at today’s emergency EU council of ministers.

They will be demonstrating outside the Justus Lipius Building where the meeting of ministers is set to take place.

Urgent action

“Business secretary Sajid Javid needs to secure urgent action from the meeting to tackle the dumping of cheap Chinese steel and high energy costs,” said Harish Patel, Unite national officer for steel.

“Nothing should be off the table, including a refusal to grant China market economy status while it fails to abide by EU rules on fair trade,” he added.

The meeting comes amid growing pressure on the UK government over its failure to step in to assist the country’s crisis hit steel industry.

“Hiding behind the EU as an excuse to do nothing will not wash with tens of thousands of workers whose livelihoods depend on steelmaking in the UK,” said Harish.

A survation survey for Unite showed that 68 per cent want the government to intervene to ensure the UK steel industry’s long term survival.

On public infrastructure projects, just 13 per cent believed the government should import steel from other countries to seek the lowest price, regardless of origin.

Steel policy

Among all voters there was overwhelming support for the government to pursue a British steel first policy.

Three quarters of all voters and 73 per cent of Conservative voters said the government should do all it can to ensure publically funded contracts support the UK steel industry.

“Sajid Javid also needs to use the opportunity to learn from his counterparts in countries such as Germany and Italy and follow their lead in developing an industrial strategy with steel at its heart,” said Harish.

“Anything less and the continued failure by ministers to urgently intervene to support UK steel will push the crisis hit industry into meltdown,” he added.