Solid support for UK steel

Hundreds of Unite steelworkers from across the UK joined their colleagues from steel unions GMB and Community in a march in London today (May 25) to press on with their fight to save the industry.

The steelworkers marched through Whitehall towards the Houses of Parliament to remind both the government and Tata Steel of their commitment to safeguard the future of steel communities and an industry that forms the bedrock of all UK manufacturing.

The marching steelworkers were joined by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as well as dozens of Labour MPs who have pledged their support to safeguard the future of the industry.

The march comes as the Tata board meets in Mumbai today (May 25) to discuss the sale of its UK operations.

Unite national officer for steel Harish Patel explained why Unite’s members came out in full force at today’s march.

“We’re here today to keep the pressure on the government so that they listen to our demands we’ve made, including lower energy rates, lower business rates and ensuring that we speed up the levy on cheap Chinese steel imports that are flooding the market so that our members have a level playing to compete no matter who the new owners of Tata Steel will be,” he said.

“Tata Steel that they have a shortlisted a handful of buyers – what we’re emphasising is that whoever the buyer is, it must ensure that steelmaking, in particular in Port Talbot, continues and there’s investment in research and development as well so that the future of steel industry in the UK,” he added.

“Steel is a foundation industry and if we were to lose this industry it will have a serious impact on other manufacturing industries in the UK, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors.

Stand united

Unite convenor for Tata Steel in Scunthorpe Martin Foster said that the entire UK steel workforce must stand united in order to save their industry – and livelihoods – from the brink of collapse.

“We’re here to support the rest of our colleagues in the steel industry,” he said. “Although the Scunthorpe works has secured a buyer, the future is still not one hundred per cent certain and the government still needs to act on what we’ve asked for.

“This issue hasn’t gone away – we’re still here, we’re still shouting for the steel industry and they’re going to have to listen us and do what we’ve asked, otherwise the steel industry could disappear.”

Unite senior branch rep Anthony Simpson, from the steelworks in Shotton, also emphasised the need for the government to act swiftly.

“Our site in Shotton is a downstream operation that’s streamlined and we are actually historically profitable – this makes our community upbeat about our future,” he said.

“But we’re facing a lot of uncertainty at our works because of the wider problems in the UK steel industry. The steel industry is interconnected and we cannot assure our continued success unless the government takes action on all our demands, such as on business rates, energy rates and Chinese dumping.”

Senior Unite rep Mark Turner came to London from the Port Talbot steelworks, which faces the greatest number of job losses if the site were to shut down. He explained just how central the steel industry was for his community.

“Our community in Port Talbot would be decimated if the steel works shut down,” he said.

“There’ll be no work. What a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s not just the steelworks. There are people who work in the steel works for outside contractors; there are also the cafes, the news agents, the garages – all of those will be affected because of the loss of trade. It’ll have a massive impact.”

Unwavering

Turner said that he and his colleagues were unwavering in their resolve to continue piling on the pressure on both the government and Tata Steel to secure a viable future for the industry.

“We’re going to keep on going,” he said. “We won’t be satisfied until we know that the two blast furnaces in Port Talbot are safe, which will then mean that the whole steel industry in the UK and the supply chain is safe. Until that happens we’re going to keep campaigning.”

Unite member Steve Irwin, who is an electrician at the Llanwern steelworks, has been working in the industry for 40 years. He’s due to retire in the next three days and came to support his colleagues.

Steve Irwin – showing support

“I thought I’d come down here and show solidarity for the future of the steel industry,” he explained. “Since the 70s, my community has been devastated by the closure of the coal industry. And then later there’s been the slow death of the steel industry. I’ve worked in Llanwern in steel for four decades – in its heyday, there were 10,000 of us and now there’s only 600, of which there’s quite a few going.

“Steel is part of the bedrock of British society,” Irwin added. “Without an industrial base, then where are you? If you can’t produce your own steel, then you become reliant on foreign countries. And if there’s an interruption in that supply, then there goes your entire infrastructure.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey explained what exactly would be at stake if the steel industry in the UK disappeared.

“If the steel industry went, then we’d be the only industrialised nation in the world that doesn’t have a steel industry – it’s unthinkable,” he said. “It feeds our automotive industry, our defence sector, our construction sector, right throughout our economy. And indeed if we are going to get an improved manufacturing base then we need steel – it’s as simple as that.

“I’m confident we’re going to win this fight,” McCluskey added. “With the unity that shown by the workforce and the communities, we’ll win and we will still have a steel industry that’s critical for the future of our nation, for our children and for those who come afterwards.”

Pics by Mark Thomas