Strong steel sector needed to safeguard UK’s national security

Here at Community, we have long highlighted that steel is an industry of huge strategic importance to the country. It is an essential component of the move towards a greener economy; it provides well-paid, skilled jobs outside of London and the South-East; and it underpins the wider success of the wider manufacturing sector and its supply chains.

Communities like Port Talbot, Newport, Llanelli and Wolverhampton were built on steel, and are now threatened by Tata’s destructive plan for decarbonisation on the cheap. That bad deal for steel would also remove the UK’s primary steelmaking capacity – something which has far-ranging repercussions for Britain.

The Royal United Services Institute has highlighted that a lack of domestic access to steel production, and increased reliance on foreign imports, presents a grave risk to UK national security and a real threat to our defence industry.

Speaking on the importance of an industrial strategy and Just Transition for the steel industry, Community Vice-President, NEC member and Llanwern Multi-Union Chair Reg Gutteridge said:

“If Tata’s plan to close the blast furnaces for good goes ahead, Britain will be the only G20 country unable to produce its own steel. That would be enough to set alarm bells going at any time, let alone in the uncertain and dangerous world we live in today.

“Russia’s barbaric war against Ukraine is still ongoing, and Putin continues to sabre-rattle against the west and neighbouring democratic countries from the Baltic states in the north to Georgia in the south. Elsewhere, the Middle East is torn apart with conflict, and hostile states like China, North Korea and Iran continue to threaten the West.

“In that kind of febrile climate, do we really want to be reliant on other countries – including China themselves – for our steel products?”

At our 2024 Biennial Delegate Conference, Community members and our National Executive voted in support of a motion to:

• Continue to oppose the bad deal from Tata and instead advocate for the credible Multi-Union Plan to safeguard our domestic industry and secure a just transition for the workforce across Tata Steel UK.
• Lobby the government to recognise the vital national importance of retaining a strong domestic steel industry, both for economic and national security, and the need to provide decisive support enabling us to compete on a level playing field with EU competitors.
• Lobby the government to protect the UK manufacturing industry by investing in green blast furnace technology for the future.
• Lobby the government to review the implementation of existing de-carbonisation strategies by 2030, given that green blast furnace technology is as yet not fully commercially proven.

Join the union for steelworkers

At Community, we are committed to fighting for a just transition that sees steelworkers and the UK steel industry thrive. Our steel industry has stood proud for centuries and cannot be replaced by cheap foreign imports. Join us today and help us to fight for a better future for the UK steel industry – WE NEED OUR STEEL!