High price of failing to help

This government must now decide which it prefers – its party’s ideology or serious action to save UK manufacturing, says Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, as he addressed the Save our Steel rally in Sheffield on Saturday (November 21).

Today in Sheffield, the city that means steel, families gathered to fight for their future.

Steelworkers’ graft means taxes for the Exchequer, cash that funds our hospitals and schools.  Pound for pound, manufacturing is the biggest creator of wealth that this nation has. For every one steelworker, another four families benefit.

Either the government doesn’t get the magnitude of this contribution or doesn’t want to get it.  It seems that they would rather ease workers’ path to the dole queue than help rescue our foundation industries.

If this was Germany, Angela Merkel would have harassed me and every union leader in the country to pull together – the total opposite to our PM who goes out of his way to attack trade unions.

If this was Italy

If this was Italy, the government would not have wrung its hands while Redcar was at risk.  They saved their plant while we have the absolute travesty of a viable coke plant now standing idle, sliding further beyond repair with every passing day.

If these plants were in the City of London or were banks, do you think we would be here today, fighting for a future?

No, steel businesses would have been hosed down with taxpayers’ money, no questions asked. We are not asking for hand-outs for badly run business.

Our steel is facing tough times, buffeted by the global economy and undermined by Chinese dumping their inferior product.

But our plants turn out some of the best steel in the world – and it is criminal of this government not to take a stake, as the public wants, to help us through this crisis.

Ridiculous

We are already in the ridiculous position that warships built to defend our nation use imported steel – from Sweden.

If Tata closes Scunthorpe then we will not be able to produce the tracks for our own railways.

These islands – the sixth richest country on the planet,  the birth place of the industrial revolution – will be reduced to begging on the market for the raw materials needed to keep our country functioning.

But I have news for Tory ministers.  Their irresponsible ideology just met its match.

Determined

UK steelworkers and their unions are determined to fight for our future. If a road or a railway is being constructed anywhere on these islands – UK steel must be used. If a nuclear plant is being built or our ports being modernised – then it must be with UK steel.

It is very simple – if you want our contracts then use our steel. Ease steel’s energy bills, help with business rates and stop welcoming in the vast bulk of China’s low grade product.

We have done it before.  We brought every bit of fight we had to save our car industry and today it thrives.

But I also say to Tata Steel – do not walk away. Do the right thing by the British workers who have served you so well. CEO Cyrus Mystry, please pick up that phone – we have talking to do.

This government must now decide which it prefers – its party’s ideology or serious action to save UK manufacturing.

We all know what the more responsible course for our country – and if they fail to take it then they must never be forgiven.

This article first appeared in the Daily Mirror, November 21