David Cameron: PM urged to step in as 1,200 steel jobs cut
UNION leaders yesterday demanded action from David Cameron to save British steel making after nearly 1,200 more job losses were confirmed.
UK ministers and the European Union were urged to do more against China’s “dumping” of cheap state-subsidised steel on the European market.
David Cameron has promised to raise the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his state visit to Britain this week.
Talks are starting today but the Prime Minister is not expected to lay out forceful demands or ultimatums, however.
Indian-owned Tata Steel yesterday announced that it will cut 1,170 UK jobs, subject to a 90-day consultation.
The Prime Minister needs to show that he wants a steel industry in the UK
Paul McBean, of steelworkers’ union Community, said: “The Prime Minister needs to show that he wants a steel industry in the UK. We need a sign that we’ve got a future. All we want is a level playing field to compete on.”
About 900 of 4,000 Tata jobs at Scunthorpe will go, while some 270 workers face redundancy in Lanarkshire, where mothballing plate mills at Dalzell and Clydebridge will effectively end 143 years of Scottish steelmaking.
Tata blamed a “flood” of cheap imports, mainly from China, along with high electricity prices and a strong pound.
The firm’s European chief Karl Koehler said: “The UK steel industry is struggling for survival in the face of extremely challenging market conditions. We need a fairer system to encourage growth. The European Commission needs to do more to deal with unfairly traded imports. Inaction threatens the future of the entire European steel industry.”
Tata executive Bimlendra Jha said: “It is a fight very clearly for the future of the manufacturing industry in Britain.”