Labour commit to investment in steel industry

Responding to this evening’s announcement from the Labour Party on future investment in the UK steel industry, Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary for the Steelworkers’ Union Community, said:

“We welcome today’s announcement that Labour will secure the £3bn needed to greenify and rebuild our steel industry and Keir contacted me today to assure it would be delivered within the first Parliament of a Labour Government. The past 14 years of Tory misgovernance has left our economy broken and reeling. It’s now up to Labour to rebuild it, and we know that any Labour Government will be forced to make difficult decisions to get the nation’s finances back on track.

“Rishi Sunak’s Government backs away from the difficult choices necessary to secure our strategic steelmaking capability. In contrast Keir Starmer’s Government would take them head on, with the determination and assurance from Keir to do what’s necessary to deliver the £3bn needed to save our steel industry and protect our national security.

“The Shadow Secretary of State for Business has been in India pressing Tata to adopt our Multi-Union Plan. Tata argued they don’t have the assurances that the funding needed would be there. Well, now Labour has stepped up where the Tories have stepped back, and the funding is assured.

“Labour backs our plan, Wales backs our plan, Steelworkers back our plan. It’s time for Tata to do the same.”

Community Union and GMB Union working with Syndex developed the Multi-Union plan for Port Talbot, which has been presented to Tata Steel. You can read this here.

Community is the steelworkers’ union. More steelworkers are members of Community than any other union, and we represent the vast majority of workers impacted by Tata’s decarbonisation plans. We have a history dating back over a century, representing members and campaigning to protect Britain’s steel industry. We are a modern trade union, campaigning for a better working world.