Steel campaigners in Scunthorpe will hold a highly visible and vocal ‘day of action’ on Thursday, November 2, to raise public support for Unite’s steel industry campaign.
Launched in September, the trade union’s campaign is demanding politicians commit to four pledges concerning the steel industry. These include capping electricity costs, a phased workers’ transition to green steel backed by £1bn investment every year for 12 years, and ensuring UK public contracts are allowed to use 100 per cent UK steel.
Unite organisers have since then worked in Scunthorpe full time with members of the public and community groups as part of the Workers’ Plan for Steel campaign. Over 30 community groups and nearly 70 businesses have signed up to the demands.
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These include Scunthorpe United Supporters Trust, Ashby Bowls Club, Riddings Amateur Boxing Club, Crosby One Community Centre, Brumby Hall Working Men’s Club, Flowers World, Steel Town Printing and My G Gadgets. Unite’s day of action on Thursday includes a gathering in the afternoon outside Gate D of British Steel.
A petition supporting the overall campaign has attracted more than 16,000 signatures and Unite credits it with prompting Labour to promise a “bright future for UK steel”. “Unite’s Workers’ Plan for Steel campaign is already seeing results,” said Unite’s General Secretary Sharon Graham.
“But to ensure that Scunthorpe’s steelworks becomes a global leader in green steel production, supporting decent well-paid jobs now and for generations to come, we need to keep our politicians’ feet to the fire. That’s why Unite is asking everyone in Scunthorpe to demand politicians of all parties commit to the Workers’ Plan for Steel.”
Unite has said it will soon be bringing forward costed proposals for a turnaround in the fortunes of UK steel and will be pressing all politicians to put those measures into effect.
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Both Labour and Conservative candidates for the town at the next general election have asserted previously to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they were on the side of steelworkers. Scunthorpe MP Holly Mumby-Croft stated: “None of us can go a single day without needing to use steel and I firmly believe as a nation we must always be able to make our own virgin steel from scratch. Scunthorpe is the beating heart of the UK’s steel industry and I will always back our workers.”
Because of investment in an electric arc furnace at Port Talbot, Scunthorpe will become the only UK place to produce virgin steel, essentially steel from scratch. Labour’s candidate Sir Nic Dakin stated his party were on the side of steelworkers and their communities. “We have made it clear we will work with the steel unions and employers to bring about the necessary strategic investment to secure the future of our steel industry into the future.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer announced last week if his party gained power they would invest £3bn to support the steel industry and its decarbonisation over the next decade.
Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
