British Steel poised to announce 300 job cuts at Lincolnshire site in blow to industry
Fears are growing for hundreds of workers at British Steel, with unions expecting the company to confirm job losses today.
The firm is poised to close its coking ovens at Scunthorpe, Lincs, as it bids to slash costs.
The move would pile pressure on the Government to throw the industry a lifeline as warnings mount about its future.
A British Steel spokesman said: “We have taken action to reduce costs within our control; however, steelmaking in the UK remains uncompetitive when compared to other international steelmakers.”
He added: “Steel is vital to modern economies and with demand expected to grow over the coming decades, British Steel has a vital role to play in ensuring the UK has its own supply of high-quality steel.
“To make sure we can deliver the steel Britain requires, we’re undergoing the biggest transformation in our 130-year history.
GMB National Officer Charlotte Brumpton-Childs said the expected announcement would be “devastating news for the people of Scunthorpe and all British steel workers across the UK”.
She added: “With grim predictability, the government’s investment is a sticking plaster that does nothing to help the long term structural issues affecting our steel industry.
“Now, steel workers, their families and communities will once again be asked to pay the price.
“GMB urges British steel and the UK government to continue talks.
“Ministers need to decide if they want the UK to have a future in steel or whether they want it to wither and die like so much of our proud manufacturing heritage.”
The Unite union vowed to fight “to defend every job under threat at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant”.
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Coventry Live/Tristan Potter)
General secretary Sharon Graham said: “British Steel workers are faced with the toxic combination of a greedy employer that is reneging on investment promises and a shambolic UK Government that has no serious plan for the industry.
“Unite’s members in British Steel are clear that they will fight this and they will have the full support of their union.”
Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said it was “yet more worrying news for our steelworkers who desperately need a Government on their side securing the bright future our steel sector could have”.
He added: “Steel is the bedrock of many communities across the UK.
“It is the foundation our manufacturing sector is built on, crucial to any net zero ambition and the beating heart of our sovereign capability.
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Martyn Wheatley / i-Images)
Speaking hours before the fears became public, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch fuelled fresh fears for the industry.
The Cabinet Minister threw doubt on the sector’s survival earlier this month when, asked about its future, she said “nothing is ever a given”.
The comment provoked fury among industry leaders and unions as the sector battles cheap imports and high energy costs.
Asked about the row, former Tory leadership hopeful Mrs Badenoch told a Politico event: “This isn’t the first time where I have had to deal with people criticising me for just telling the truth.
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Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
“I’m not too bothered by it.”
However, she insisted the Government has “got the backs” of steel firms and “will do everything we can to support them”.
She added: “We have done so much for the steel industry, the Government has been really committed to it.”
The Mirror has been campaigning to Save Our Steel since 2015.
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