UK Steel Charter says buy British, save jobs

Efforts to sustain and grow the steel industry in Britain have culminated in the launch of the UK Steel Charter.

The charter was launched by industry body UK Steel in Westminster on May 20, urging the government and big firms to buy British.

The UK government is expected to buy £2.5 billion worth of steel over the next five years for rail, roads, schools, hospitals and warships.

UK Steel, supported by unions including Unite, is calling for that steel to be sourced from within Great Britain, with bodies signing up to its charter.

Unite national officer for steel Tony Brady said:“Unite has long called for the government to use UK produced steel in major infrastructure projects to support jobs and manufacturing communities across the UK.

“The need and the sense of urgency for this to happen is only heightened by the current difficulties experienced by British Steel. We would urge the UK Government to back this charter and use its buying power to put UK steel at the heart of major infrastructure projects and ensure projects like the Royal Navy’s new fleet solid ships are built in the UK using UK steel.

“The major employers Unite deals with must also play their part.

“That is why we are writing to all of them asking them to back the UK steel charter and ensure a win for jobs, the economy and UK manufacturing.” The charter comes as statistics reveal that nearly 20,000 steel jobs have been lost in Scotland since 1981.

The industry employed 19,000 workers in the country 38 years ago.

But the numbers had dropped to just 1810 by 2017, according to figures released by the GMB union.

This means that since 1981 the industry here has lost 90 per cent of its jobs.