Around a thousand steelworkers and their families are set to join a mass rally today to highlight factory closures and job cuts.
Staff at sites including Teesside and Scunthorpe – where the march is taking place – have lost their jobs and unions are concerned that more cuts could be announced.
High energy costs, business rates and cheap imports from China have been blamed by firms for the redundancies and bosses have called on the Government to help the industry with tax cuts and incentives.
The TUC’s general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: “The crisis in British steel isn’t over. One in six steelworkers faces losing their jobs. Britain desperately needs a long-term industrial plan, but ministers have refused to commit to one… Every steelworker generates over £90,000 of added value. These aren’t jobs we can simply watch fade away.”
The march, which takes place past the Tata Steel plant, which shut down last month with the loss of 900 jobs, comes as administrators managed to save jobs at part of another steel company, Caparo, which went bust with the loss of 452 jobs.
Caparo Testing Technologies has been sold to Applus+ by administrator PwC, saving 76 jobs in the West Midlands and south of England. Talks are ongoing to save other parts of the business.
A Department for Business spokesperson said: “The UK Government will not stand aside whilst the steel industry faces such unprecedented challenges.
“We have already paid out over £50m in compensation for energy costs to UK steel-makers and in July we voted for anti-dumping measures on Chinese wire rod products in recognition of the pressures facing the steel industry.”
