Our message to Rishi Sunak – back it or lose it!

Community General Secretary, Roy Rickhuss CBE has written to the Prime Minister to call for urgent action to save Britain’s steel industry before it becomes too late.

Following years of failed promises from this government, it is time for them to make their mind up – either back our industry or lose it.

Thousands of steelworkers’ jobs, as well as their communities are threatened by inaction, and we need this government to step up and secure a sustainable future for our industry.

The letter reads:

Dear Prime Minister,

Back it or lose it

I write to urge you, in the strongest terms, to back Britain’s steel industry before it becomes too late.

For years steelworkers have had warm words from successive Tory governments, but the fact is you are failing us and the clock is ticking. It’s time to make your mind up; do you want a steel industry in this country or not. Continuing to do nothing is a momentous decision, because if that is your choice you risk Britain becoming dependent on others for steels we need for our national security. This cannot be allowed to happen, but that is where we are headed should you continue to sit on your hands.

British Steel supplies more than 90% of the steels for Network Rail, and it is unthinkable this responsibility could be given to foreign producers. But our industry cannot succeed if we continue paying twice as much for energy as our EU competitors, and our industry cannot decarbonise if there is no partnership with government.

Thousands of steel jobs across the country are hanging in the balance, and thousands more are threatened in the supply chain and local economies. The very future of our industrial communities is at stake, and you should know you will never be forgiven should you betray us and our industry.

Last week the blast furnace at Redcar was demolished, a poignant reminder of a Tory government’s failure to safeguard our national strategic steel assets. The collapse of the Redcar steelworks was a tragedy that should never have happened and must never be repeated, and Britain’s steelworkers are ready to fight for our industry and way of life.

Britain needs its steel industry, and we need you to step up and commit to securing a sustainable future for British steelmaking. Already we have the smallest steel industry of the G7, and it’s hard to believe you would condemn Britain to being the only major economy that can’t make its own metal.

Steelworkers and steel communities are looking to you to show leadership: we call on you to back our steel industry now, otherwise you 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.