{"id":6413,"date":"2015-10-22T17:20:04","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T16:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=6413"},"modified":"2015-10-23T12:04:24","modified_gmt":"2015-10-23T11:04:24","slug":"do-not-shut-the-door-on-steel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=6413","title":{"rendered":"‘Do not shut the door on steel’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Not long after the minister Sajid Javid sat down in the Commons<\/a>, having announced what he was planning to do for our steel industry, one Tata\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s UK bosses spoke.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The real question the Tata manager said, is does manufacturing have a future in Britain? Then he added: does the cradle of the industrial revolution plan to shut the door on a foundation industry? Tata is not impressed by the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stance on steel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who can blame them? UK steel has been the iron at the heart of our manufacturing sector. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the world-beating product that results in world class constructions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

UK steel has been the iron at the heart of our manufacturing sector. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the world-beating product that results in world class constructions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part of an industry providing \u00c2\u014195bn to our national wealth<\/a>, one fifth of all that contributed by manufacturing. It brings in \u00c2\u014112bn in taxes and a further \u00c2\u01417bn in contributions to the Exchequer. The jobs it creates are decent \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the sort a family can be raised on with dignity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Massive contribution<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

And, according to the TUC, each steel worker is worth some \u00c2\u014190,000 to the nation \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a massive contribution to our common good that melts away with each and every job lost. So I for one am not prepared to stand by to let this incredible national asset go down the pan because the current government believes that the ‘market is king\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hard-core Thatcherite dogma may keep cabinet ministers warm when the going gets rough but it does zero for the tens of thousands of people and the communities who know that Tory ideology does not put food on the table.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Luckily there are some obvious solutions in sight for Mssrs Cameron, Osborne <\/a>and Javid, staring them in the face in fact. The UK government is committed to infrastructure improvement projects worth tens of billions in the coming years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The answer therefore is to specify to contractors that if they want UK business then, where there is an equivalent home-grown product, UK steel must be used.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

These projects are publicly-funded. That means you and I with our taxpayer pounds will pay for these roads and railways.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With the cost of scrapping a steel plant running close to \u00c2\u01411 billion \u00e2\u20ac\u201c again, your money \u00e2\u20ac\u201c then I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll wager that you would rather see your hard-earned cash put to better use than dole money, land clearance and the order books of the Chinese steel industry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So here are five, shovel-ready projects that could bring some security to UK steel<\/a>. All bring enormous national benefits; all are wanted by business desperate to thrive and UK regions hungry to get ahead \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and all have a part for UK steel to play.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Lower Thames Crossing<\/strong> – Getting to work on this would move freight around the capital and in and out of the UK quicker. Progress it from the ministerial in-tray and put orders UK steel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s way<\/li>\n
  2. Improvements to the A1.<\/strong> The scoping work has all been undertaken. These road improvements would aid traffic flow around the north east, surely supporting the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s oft-promised Northern Powerhouse. It is a \u00c2\u01411.1bn contract \u00e2\u20ac\u201c some of that needs to head steel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s way.<\/li>\n
  3. Intercity express.<\/strong> Hitachi has won the contract for rolling stock, but infrastructure \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that means track \u00e2\u20ac\u201c improvements are a huge part of the success of this \u00c2\u01415.7bn project. Again, let UK steel know it can benefit.<\/li>\n
  4. The Rail Investment Strategy<\/strong>. North, south, east and west major investment programmes will make our straining rail system better connected and able to carry more passengers. There is a healthy \u00c2\u01415.9bn budget \u00e2\u20ac\u201c UK steel should get a slice of this cake.<\/li>\n
  5. Energy generation<\/strong>. Nearly \u00c2\u014146bn has been ear-marked for the projects at Hinkley, Bradwell and around the country to improve our energy security. With work rolling out well into the 2020s, imagine the boost this could bring to UK steel.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    I could have gone on and on – HS2, gas and wind generators to be built, plus the work to refit our ports in Liverpool and Southampton.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    All work to keep the lights on, keep Britain moving and bring our country up to the standards expected of a 21st century developed nation.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    There is not, then, an absence of activity; there is hole where there ought to be strategy. Our steel industry cannot survive unless the government helps it through this tough time so that it can emerge in a fit state to win future business.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    So let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hear no more from ministers about the balm they will bring to redundancy (important though it is that workers are treated with dignity). Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hear instead of ministers, sleeves rolled up, candles burning through the night as they go through contract after contract marking them boldly with Must Use UK Steel.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Cry for common sense<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

    This is not a plea from a romantic time for a bygone industry. This is a cry for common sense from government to act now to save an industry we need.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Ministers, your job is to manage our money, to caretake our assets sensibly, to act when you can to save our communities from pain. You have easy solutions before you. Do not shut the door on steel.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Four\u00c2\u00a0things the government must do<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. An immediate cut in business rates for the steel industry and a fairer system of valuation.<\/li>\n
    2. Give the steel industry a break from green taxes and high energy bills<\/li>\n
    3. Block China from dumping cheap steel on the UK market<\/li>\n
    4. Buy British. Major infrastructure and construction projects and all government backed contracts should look to use British-made steel<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Sign the steel petition<\/h3>\n

      Dear David Cameron<\/p>\n

      We want urgent action to save the steel industry and prevent the loss of thousands of jobs.<\/p>\n

      It is time to cut business rates and energy bills for steel plants, block cheap Chinese exports and get UK firms to buy British-made steel.<\/p>\n

      Sign up here: www.mirror.co.uk\/steelpetition<\/a><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      This article first appeared in The Mirror<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0October 22<\/em><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Not long after the minister Sajid Javid sat down in the Commons, having announced what he was planning to do for our steel industry, one Tata\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s UK bosses spoke.   The real question the Tata manager said, is does manufacturing have a future in Britain? Then he added: does the cradle of the industrial revolution […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[269],"wps_subtitle":"Stand by the steel industry, says Unite GS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6413"}],"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=6413"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6423,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6413\/revisions\/6423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}