20,000 signatures reached
To: All UK political parties
Support the Workers' Plan for Steel
We are asking all those seeking election to give a clear answer: Whose side are you on? We are asking them to commit to:
4 Pledges for Steel
1. Change procurement rules to let UK public contracts use 100% UK steel. This alone can create 8,000 jobs.
2. Public investment for a Steelworkers’ Transition Plan with NO loss of jobs. Phased workers' transition to green steel – while doubling capacity to rebuild our industry and grow jobs. The investment needed is £1 billion per year over 12 years and it will pay for itself with increased revenue.
3. Tackle energy prices. Bring in electricity price caps and public ownership of the grid to make our steel even more competitive.
4. Take a stake. No more money for nothing. Public investment for steel must come with solid job guarantees.
The general election is coming. Politicians of all parties will need to be clear about where they stand on the future of steel and our communities.
Why is this important?
- What steel crisis?
It’s crunch time. We need major investment now. The UK’s four blast furnaces, which produce 80% of our steel and provide thousands of decent jobs, need replacing between 2026 and 2035.
Decades of under-investment have undermined the industry. But, if our politicians make the right choices, steel production in the UK can have a very bright future.
We’ve developed an ambitious Workers’ Plan for Steel that if delivered would make Britain a world leader.
It’s time to save our steel.
- Does steel have a future?
Yes, but the right decisions must be made now.
There are two choices.
On the one side: A bright future with the UK a world leader. Serious investment that takes advantage of rising demand for green steel and pays for itself over time. This would safeguard existing employment and create thousands of new decent jobs for generations to come.
On the other: Managed decline. Let the steel industry keep shrinking. Tinkering around the edges is putting jobs at risk and it means Britain will lose the opportunity to become a world leader in an industry of the future.
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