{"id":5995,"date":"2015-09-29T11:11:52","date_gmt":"2015-09-29T10:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=5995"},"modified":"2015-09-29T17:02:32","modified_gmt":"2015-09-29T16:02:32","slug":"very-very-worried","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=5995","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Very, very worried\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If the government wanted to help we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have been the first steel plant in line for it, given the position of the company,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Unite SSI convenor Kevin Cook. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTalk about a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098steel summit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is one thing but they need to get a move one.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a poor position. We could be the first to go under but the workers in other plants across the UK are very, very worried,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he told UniteLive.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bHere in Redcar the mood is very flat. Morale is very low at the moment.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen people were told this morning they were dismayed and confused. That then turned to anger.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere seems little SSI can tell us other than 1700 jobs are at risk and the plant is being mothballed. But mothballing a plant needs long-term pre-planning and money to maintain it and no one knows where that money will come from.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been paid this month but the workforce wants to know if we will be paid next month. There is only pay in our pockets because the taxman refunded some money.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe UK needs to keep steelmaking as a core industry for the future. It is inconceivable that this country will not be a steel producer but that is what we are facing.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nThat will be a hard fight given the dumping of cheap Chinese steel on the global market. China\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s economic slowdown has left them with a huge surplus and they have devalued their currency, making steel cheaper still.<\/p>\n

 
\nDisadvantage<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 
\nUK-based steelmakers are at a further disadvantage. European steelmakers face lower business rates, while money invested in UK-based plants pushes up the value of the business subjecting it to higher rates \u00e2\u20ac\u201c almost a tax on investment.<\/p>\n

 
\nEuropean based steelmakers also benefit from far lower energy costs than their UK counterparts. While the UK government stands behind EU laws which limit state subsidy, other countries find a way to keep strategic industries like steel.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe company SSI said, “This decision has had to be taken against a continuing background of poor steel trading conditions across the globe and the consequential severe deterioration in steel prices experienced during the course of 2015, together with the view that this is unlikely to change in the short term.<\/p>\n

 
\n“We will continue to work with various stakeholders, including government, with the objective of restarting operations at Teesside at some point in the future.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nThe company also pointed to high business rates and high energy costs as key drivers in their proposal to mothball and axe 1700 jobs. The matter is now out to formal consultation but has caused a furore.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe decision has branded a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098body blow to the community\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, by Unite national officer Harish Patel. He said:\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is devastating news for Redcar and the thousands of people who depend on the steelworks for their livelihoods. Steel is the lifeblood of the local economy and runs through the community\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s veins.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much vaunted Northern Powerhouse risks being nothing more than empty rhetoric unless it steps in with assistance to save the SSI plant on Redcar.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWith so many livelihoods at stake and the UK steel industry at crisis point government ministers need to follow the lead of their counterparts in France, Italy and Germany by pursuing an active industrial strategy which supports the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s steel industry.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOver the coming days Unite will be doing everything we can to support our members and the community and pressing government ministers to intervene and save our steel.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nCritical situation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 
\nAngela Eagle MP, Labour\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shadow business secretary, tore into the government over its lack of interest. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe latest announcement from SSI shows how critical the situation in Redcar is. Unless the government acts, 1,700 jobs will be lost.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is unacceptable that the government is allowing strategic industries to fail. This government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ideological decision not to have an industrial strategy is putting jobs at risk.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs we meet in Brighton the entire British industry is hanging by a thread and yet the Government seems reluctant to act decisively. Steel forms a vital part of a productive and competitive manufacturing sector.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is worth \u00c2\u014145bn to our economy. No other government in Europe would be so slow to react. This government must act now with urgency to safeguard the future of steel making in the UK. The latest announcement from SSI shows how critical the situation in Redcar is. Unless the government acts, 1700 jobs will be lost.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nTUC general secretary\u00c2\u00a0Frances O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Grady\u00c2\u00a0said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe future of British steel-making is at a crossroads. At a time when competitor nations are spending heavily on helping their energy-intensive industries to become greener, companies in the UK are being forced to pay huge costs.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Chancellor must provide more financial support for manufacturers in November\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spending review. If the government does nothing plants like SSI will continue to close.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBritish steel-making contributes over \u00c2\u014145bn to the UK economy and provides the kind of high-skilled labour we need to boost productivity. It can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be allowed to wither on the vine.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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If the government wanted to help we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have been the first steel plant in line for it, given the position of the company,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Unite SSI convenor Kevin Cook. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTalk about a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098steel summit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is one thing but they need to get a move one.     \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a poor position. We could be the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[126,396,269],"wps_subtitle":"Redcar steelworkers reeling from loss of 1,700 jobs","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5995"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5995"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5997,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5995\/revisions\/5997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}