Britain, we need our steel

Steel is a vital part of our economy and has built the Britain we know today. The roads we drive, the bridges we cross, the hospitals that heal us and the schools our children learn in are all made from steel.

Much of what we identify as modern Britain has been forged by British steel. From the Kelpies in Falkirk to Wembley Stadium in London, many of our greatest monuments have been made with British steel.

Whether we realise it or not we are looking at steel every hour of every day, it is essential to our economy and our way of life.

Despite steel being such an essential part of our lives, our economy, and our communities, our steel industry now finds itself at a crossroads.

Without the support of Government or businesses our steel industry risks falling behind its international competitors. This is bad for our economy, bad for the communities that rely on steel and bad for Britain.

But we need to see the right kind of support from Government. Short-sighted bad deals like the one we saw announced between Tata and the UK Government on 15 September 2023 will only weaken our steel industry and cost jobs. An Electric Arc Furnace only approach to steel is simply the wrong one.

That’s why Community, the steelworkers’ union, is calling for the Government to implement our key asks to help make our steel industry a global leader once again.

We’re asking the Government to;

• Deliver competitive energy prices
• Match the ambition of competitor country’s investment in green steel production
• Introduce climate measures to protect us from dirty steel imports, and
• Mandate or incentivise the procurement of UK-made steel for defence, energy and major infrastructure projects

All technological options need to be on the table such as DRI and hydrogen. With these reforms we can make our steel industry a global leader once again and help build a better greener Britain.

Because Britain, we need our steel now.

We’ve put together a pack of social media graphics to help members and supporters of our steel industry raise awareness of our campaign. Download pack here.