Steelworkers demand government does more to support UK industry

Steelworkers from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have joined a march to Parliament, demanding the government does more to support the industry.

The march was organised by the Community Union, which wants more investment to support decarbonisation.

British Steel Scunthorpe multi-union chair Paul McBean said ministers needed to match steel firms' investment.

The government said it was working "to secure a sustainable, decarbonised and competitive future" for steel.

Mr McBean, who has worked in the steel sector since 1978, said: "We want the government to match-fund whatever the [steel] companies are willing to put in. That's what governments are doing all over Europe."

He accused the government of "sitting back", which he said risked the collapse of UK steel manufacturing.

"If something is not done, that will be the end of the industry," warned Mr McBean. "Scunthorpe and Port Talbot in Wales are the last two integrated steelworks."

In the case of Scunthorpe, Mr McBean said the town "would die" if the steelworks were to fold.

Chris Williamson, who works at Liberty Steel in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, which operates electric arc furnaces, said union members wanted "a level playing field" with the rest of Europe when it came to energy prices.

"Steel companies here are paying two or three times more for energy than our European counterparts," he said.

The Community Union's general secretary Roy Rickhuss said the government "must decide whether it wants a steel industry in this country".

He said: "Britain needs its steel industry, our country is made from it; the roads we drive, the bridges we cross, the hospitals that heal us and the schools our children learn in."

Mr Rickhuss said further support was urgently needed.

He said: "Our steel industry cannot survive if we continue to pay far more for energy than our EU competitors and it cannot decarbonise if the government doesn't support the transition toward net zero.

"Steelworkers don't ask for handouts, simply the chance to compete on a level playing field and to protect an industry of crucial national importance."

According to the Community Union, between 200 and 300 workers from Tata Steel, British Steel, Liberty Steel, Celsa, Marcegaglia and Outokumpu took part in the march.

In a statement, the Department for Business and Trade said: "This government believes that steel plays a vital role in the UK economy, supporting local jobs and economic growth.

"We introduced the British Industry Supercharger to make our steel industry more competitive by bringing down energy prices and we are protecting the UK steel industry from unfair trading practices.

"We are working closely with the sector to secure a sustainable, decarbonised and competitive future for steel."

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