Engineering news
Steelworkers will march through the streets of London today to urge the government to ensure a "responsible" sale of Tata Steel's UK business and call for an industrial strategy to support the whole steel industry in the future.
The march will see hundreds of steelworkers from across the country demand the government firstly ensure the responsible sale of Tata Steel’s UK assets and secondly deliver a proper industrial strategy that supports the entire steel sector throughout the current crisis and into a profitable future.
Steelworkers will be joined by employers, industry experts, Dutch trade unions, and TUC general secretary Francis O’Grady.
Roy Rickhuss, Community’s general secretary, said: “George Osborne once said that he wanted ‘a march of the makers’, well today he’s got one. We are the steel makers and we are marching for our futures.
“For months, the ‘Save Our Steel’ campaign has engaged hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. This march will bring steelworkers to London to focus all our attention on delivering a clear message to government: save our jobs, support our communities and deliver the fantastic future for British steelmaking we know it can have.”
Dave Hulse, GMB national officer, added: "It took the government a long time to understand how serious this steel crisis is. This march will be an opportunity for all unions to send a clear message that we need a long term strategy to support our industry and safeguard vital jobs.
“Unless the UK government take urgent action to save the steel industry as part of a strategy to close the balance of payments deficit which is over 5% of GDP a further recession in the UK is inevitable. A deficit of this magnitude is unsustainable and saving the UK steel industry is the first step in the right direction for the UK economy."
Meanwhile, the main board of Tata Steel is expected to draw up a shortlist of realistic buyers for its UK steel plants when it meets in Mumbai. Seven bids have been received, according to reports.
Prime minister David Cameron said there have been an encouraging number of serious offers for Tata Steel’s assets, but that there were no guarantees of a successful conclusion. He said: “We continue to work towards trying to get a good outcome for Tata in south Wales, the sales process is under way, there has been an encouraging number of serious offers coming through.
“We have just got to stick at it and do everything we can to try to bring this to a successful conclusion. As I have always said, there are no guarantees, we can’t guarantee this is going to work but we are doing everything we can,” he added.