Community has written to the Prime Minister to call for urgent action to save Britain’s steel industry.
Our steel industry cannot survive paying energy prices way above those paid by EU competitors, or meet decarbonisation targets without government invention.
All Britain’s steelworkers ask is the chance to compete fairly on a level playing field.
The letter reads:
Dear Prime Minister
Back it or lose it
Britain needs its steel industry. Our country is built from it; the roads we drive, the bridges we cross, the hospitals that heal us and the schools our children learn in.
Steel is not just important, it is an essential strategic industry supporting the supply chain for key economic sectors like aerospace, automotive and construction.
Moreover, our steel industry is crucial to our national security, and Putin’s war in Ukraine reinforces the need for a strong British steel industry feeding our defence sector. You have consistently maintained that our great country will remain firm against Vladimir Putin. Ensuring Britain has a strong steel industry is a vital part of that. It is simply unthinkable that Britain could find itself at war relying on others for the metal we need to build our own jets, ships and tanks.
Having a strong steel industry is as important now as it has ever been, and it’s no coincidence the world’s leading economies, the US, China, Japan, Germany and India, also happen to be the world’s biggest steel producers.
This needs to be said clearly: in the absence of government backing we are careering towards the end of Britain’s proud history of steelmaking. Government must now decide whether it wants a steel industry in this country or not.
Our steel industry has huge advantages; we have the most committed highly-skilled workforce there is, we have an extremely valuable home market, and we have the chance to supply the green steels Britain needs for a net zero economy. But the continued lack of support from government is killing our industry, and if that doesn’t change it will shut us down and cost thousands of jobs.
Our industry cannot survive if you force us to continue paying energy prices way above those paid by our EU competitors. And our industry cannot decarbonise steelmaking if your government does not support the transition, following the lead of governments right across Europe. All steelworkers ask is the chance to compete fairly on a level playing field.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, and time is running out. Our industry is bleeding, we urgently need investment to stop us falling further and further behind the competition.
Our steel industry needs your urgent attention. It would be unforgiveable if our jobs and communities were allowed to become casualties of the ongoing turmoil in your government.
This is on your watch and your call: back our steel industry now or risk losing it forever.
Yours sincerely
Roy Rickhuss CBE
General Secretary
For more information on our ‘Britain, we need our steel’ campaign, click here.
To find out more about our work in the steel sector, click here.
If you are a member of Community and need advice or support, please contact our Service Centre at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2024