Workers Plan for Steel
A union with a vision for the steel industry and the country. As part of Unite’s campaign to fight for the steel industry, open letters have been written by 130 businesses, associations and clubs in Port Talbot, 150 in Scunthorpe, 130 in Teesside, 150 in Sheffield. We reproduce the Teesside letter and comments, underneath the main campaign programme.
Unite The Union
https://www.unitetheunion.org/campaigns/the-fight-for-steel
Unanimously agreeing a workers’ plan for steel
Unite reps in steel unanimously agreed a workers’ plan for steel for all plants including Port Talbot. Unite’s plan is about growth in steel jobs that will transform the UK into the global green steel capital – November 2023
The fight for steel is now | Whose side are our politicians on?
What steel crisis? – Check out the campaign launch videos for more
It’s crunch time. We need major investment now. The UK’s four blast furnaces, which produce 80 per cent of our steel and provide thousands of decent jobs, need replacing between 2026 and 2035. Decades of underinvestment have undermined the industry, but, if our politicians make the right choices, steel production in the UK can have a very bright future. Unite has developed an ambitious Workers’ Plan for Steel that if delivered would make Britain a world leader. It’s time to save our steel.
What do we want?
Unite is asking all those seeking election to give a clear answer: Whose side are you on?
Unite is asking them to commit to 5 pledges for steel:
- Expand steelmaking capacity by at least double. This would take us back towards the European average, while introducing new technology and increasing jobs.
- Tackle energy prices. Bring in electricity price caps and public ownership of the grid to make our steel even more competitive.
- Change procurement rules to ensure UK public contracts use 100% UK steel. This alone can create thousands of jobs.
- Take a public stake in our steel industry. No more money for nothing. Public investment for steel must come with solid job guarantees.
- Public investment of £12 billion. This will fund a Workers Transition that doubles capacity and protects every job. It will pay for itself in as little as 10 years.
Open letter from 130 Teesside businesses and community groups to save steel industry
More than 130 Teesside businesses, community groups, sports and social clubs have signed an open letter calling on the government to save the region’s steel industry.
The letter states:
We are a coalition of local businesses, community groups, sports and social clubs in Teesside speaking up together in support of our steel industry and its workers.
Teesside’s steel industry is a hugely important employer, providing quality jobs for local people. Its future represents the future of our community and businesses. That future is now uncertain.
For too long the UK steel industry has suffered from patchy investment and short-term vision.
Our politicians, of all stripes, need to stand up and commit to securing a long-term future for the industry before steel communities like ours suffer the same fate as mining and industrial communities did in the 1980s.
Back then, the government sat idly by and allowed communities to suffer. They can’t be allowed to do the same again. Instead, they should commit to the investment needed to make the UK a European leader in green steel and secure the jobs that our community relies on.
For communities to thrive they need decent jobs. It is the role of government to ensure that communities have a secure future.
Our politicians should commit to:
- Change procurement rules to let UK public contracts use 100 per cent UK steel. This alone can create thousands of jobs.
- Public investment for a Steelworkers’ Transition Plan with NO loss of jobs. Phased workers’ transition to Green Steel – while doubling capacity to rebuild our industry and grow jobs.
Commenting on the letter, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The businesses and communities of Teesside know that is crunch time for steel and for the future of their region. They are joining with Unite in their droves to call on our politicians to act now.
“The government’s current plans for the industry are an abysmal failure that will result in the loss of countless jobs and the decimation of an industry vital to both the communities it supports and the UK’s economic success.
“Unite and the people of Teesside will not rest until politicians make the right choices. Steel production in the UK can have a bright future – it’s time to save our steel.”
Abigail Stringer, owner of DC Mobility, said: “Traditional British steel went worldwide from Teesside. Teesside steel built the world. The decline has had a massive effect on the communities around Redcar. It used to be a job for life but the decline has decimated families. I’m disgusted in the government at allowing cheap Chinese steel to be imported and I back unites workers plan for the steel industry.”
Kelly Simpson, from the Pig & Whistle pub, said: “The demise of the steel industry has had a massive effect on the town. Redcar is like a ghost town with the amount of shops closing. Contractors used to come in here and use the local B&Bs but there are no contractors now, so this has directly affected our pub. My own husband is out of work now because jobs are hard to find on Teesside. I totally back Unites pledges for the UK steel industry.”
Redcar Rugby Union Football Club’s Derek Young said: “The demise of the steel industry has lost us players. Instead of having three teams we now only have one and a half. The players used to have jobs in the local area and now they work away on the rigs or wherever they can find work.”
Labour Affairs 